Testing The Faithful
by RowanJade
Summary: Lee&OC Fluffy Drama Mush. I hate uber sweet Mary Sues. So I set out to prove that there can be an OC that is not horrible. Plus figured I had to write one to get it out of my system. She's not THAT bad, really! Plus there's gratuitous smut! 2 Chapters ar
1. Chapter 1

The day couldn't have been better if he'd worked at it. Lee Adama was practically bouncing down the street, the small velvet box burning a hole in the pocket of his uniform. He'd been waiting for months to be able to afford the ring for Lauren and now he had it in his grasp and he was on his way home. He planned to make her dinner and propose to her.

He'd loved Lauren from the night he met her and he'd put this off for too long now. Lee was ready for the next step, and he knew Lauren was as well. They'd been talking about getting married and starting a family for a while and Lauren had backed his idea to muster out and start up a bar. He loved her even more for going along with his crazy plans and he'd begun to actually think it may work. Lee had been listening to his CO talk about promoting him for a few weeks and if it actually happened, he and Lauren could afford a bigger flat and all of the things they'd been putting off for so long. Then, when their tours were up they'd opt out and find a good place to settle down and be normal people.

He arrived at the tram station as the latest one was preparing to pull out and he jumped aboard with seconds to spare. As he slid into a seat he pulled the velvet box out and his mind wandered back to the night he'd met Lauren.

Zak had been crazy enough to enter a flight training program on Saggitaron and Lee decided it was his job to talk his kid brother out of it. Zak just wasn't ready for flight school, especially not in a Viper and Lee knew it, so he felt it was his duty as the big brother to talk him out of it. Lee arrived on planet just as the sun was setting and he knew his wild little brother probably wasn't in his bunk. He asked around and eventually tracked Zak down at a bar across the base. When Lee walked into the loud and rowdy bar he searched until he found Zak at the bar. Zak looked like he was having a lot of fun, this was made even more obvious by the pretty blonde draped across his lap.

Lee almost laughed about this but then he figured that Zak was probably using his status as a Viper pilot to attract women. That almost seemed like a thing that Zak would do but Lee wasn't totally sure so he wandered over to the couple at the bar.

"Hello little brother. You look like you're having a good time."

The reaction on Zak's face was one that Lee would not soon forget. He watched as his brother went from shocked to scared to depressed all within seconds. Zak knew why Lee had showed up without another word and he was dreading the argument that would happen. Their father had always pushed the boys to be pilots, bragging to everyone how talented his boys were and how they were such naturals at flight. He was only partially correct in this, Lee was indeed a natural pilot but Zak just wasn't. When one of Zak's flight instructors had contacted Lee on Caprica to advise him of how poorly the younger Adama was doing, Lee knew he had to get Zak to realize that he just wasn't cut out to be a pilot.

"Ergh…uh…Lee! What a surprise. It's good to see you again big brother!" Zak's enthusiasm was obviously false but Lee smiled at him anyway. Under his breath Zak whispered, "what the frak are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to come see how you were doing. I figured that you'd be the star of your class and I thought I'd come brag about you. You certainly look like you're doing well for yourself."

"Oh! Um, Lee meet Kara Thrace. Kara, meet my big brother Lee."

The blonde on Zak's lap righted herself and thrust out her hand to shake. Lee was impressed by how she looked and then she dazzled him with her smile. "Good ta meetcha! I guess Zak's told you all about me by now huh?"

"Uh, no, actually."

"Zak!" she whipped around and playfully smacked Zak on the shoulder. Then she broke out in a laugh that was loud and raucous but Lee found strangely infectious. "Well come on, let's get you a drink and we can all get friendly like shall we?"

They sat around drinking and talking until the bar closed down and Lee found that Kara Thrace was a whirlwind in a small pretty package. They traded insults and laughed like they had been friends forever and Lee was proud that his little brother had caught such a fine woman. He'd been watching their playful banter all night and he could see that both of them were deeply in love and Lee felt like it was the best thing that could have happened to his brother. Then he found out that Kara was Zak's flight instructor and the whole world changed.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

"Zak…you seriously can't do this. Kara is your flight instructor for frak's sake! Do you know how bad that looks?"

They'd been arguing about it for several hours now and Lee was beginning to get a throbbing headache from it all. Zak was the most stubborn person Lee had ever known and his little brother was being even more pig headed now than he'd ever been before. Lee finally realized that there was simply no way to talk Zak out of doing this so he relented. Zak's smile reached all the way to his eyes when he realized he'd finally beaten his big brother.

"You know that dad is going to be super proud if you do this, and I guess I'll have to be proud too. Just don't frak up!"

Several days later, after Lee had relented and let Zak lead his own life by his own terms, Zak and Kara took Lee on a tour of the local bar scene. They hopped from bar to bar and Lee noticed the quality of the surroundings degrading as they moved. They stopped for several hours at a bar called "Has-Bens" that Lee almost warmed too. He enjoyed the oldies style music and the crowd seemed quite loose and friendly. Several of Zak's flight mates wandered over to say hi and Lee soon began to enjoy the style of their attitudes. He relaxed and followed the lead of Kara and Zak.

Then after a while at the same place, Kara noticed a group of her friends at the bar and waved them over. Several of the ladies in the group were exceptionally pretty to Lee's eyes and he soon realized that Kara was inviting them over to try to set him up with one of them. Apparently she couldn't stand to see a lone male, well…alone.

Towards the end of the night a small group of women came to say 'hi' to Kara and one stayed to talk and have a drink. Lauren, as her name turned out to be, was plain, yet pretty in a strangely beguiling way. Lee looked her up and down and was impressed by her seductive good looks. Her hair was long and a deep reddish brown, braided in a neat club down her back. Her deep brown eyes seemed to go on forever and her body, well there was a great deal to be said for the curves and planes of that particular form. But what really snared Lee was her laugh. Her infectious and amazing laugh that made him feel as if he was floating on air and higher than ever before. He fell in love with her laugh and there was no going back.

Lauren perched on her bar stool, trading sarcastic insults with Zak and Kara for a while then she began to tell tales. Tales that simply had to be made up but were intoxicating never the less. Lee soon fell under her spell and when she finally looked into his eyes and made that special contact with him, he was hooked. He looked into the deep brown pools of his eyes and felt himself being pulled under. He started to ask her questions about her stories, not caring about the answers but wanting simply to have her look at him. And all too soon the bartender called last round and they had to leave their cozy space.

"So Lauren, did you walk or ride tonight?" Kara asked as they headed for the door.

"I got a ride over with Karl but they must be long gone so I guess I'm walking."

Lee smiled at this since it meant he'd get to spend more time with her. Kara apparently had the same thought and she winked at Lee. The blush on his face was endearing and Kara knew then that she'd found a good match for him. The two couples set out down the tree lined street towards the barracks and Lauren flitted back and forth between Kara and Lee. Then Kara and Zak started giggling at something private and Lee had to laugh when Kara reached over and punched Zak in the arm for something. Zak laughed about it and smacked Kara on the butt and ran off so she couldn't hit him again. The two chased each other around trees and were soon far ahead of Lee and Lauren.

"They are really in love aren't they?" Lee asked.

"Fast and deep. Not a thing gonna pull them apart." The look in Lauren's eyes wasn't quite jealousy but it looked like it could be if she let it.

Changing the topic in hopes of making her smile again Lee asked her, "So tell me more about yourself. What's the mystery of Lauren?"

"No mystery here! I'm just a humble farm girl from Aerelon."

"A farm girl? No way!" he laughed at the thought of this boisterous woman being stuck on a farm.

"It's true! I was raised on a farm but as you can tell, it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life so I enlisted in the fleet. Did my time in basic and decided I kinda liked it so I renewed and they started testing me for skills. I tested out high in electronics and piloting and lo and behold, here I am, farm girl turned pilot."

He was fascinated by the story and wanted to keep her talking, "So how did you hook up with Kara? You two seem to be really good friends."

"Oh we are! It's kinda funny, we were actually in two separate flight classes. My lead instructor decided he didn't like me so he traded me off to Kara's squad. We hated each other at first. We danced around for a while trying to determine who got to be the alpha female and then we both compromised and decided to share. The rest is the stuff of legend!"

"I'll just bet it is. I'd kinda like to hear the legends sometime."

"Well you are just gonna have to wait or ask Kara cause this is my building," she said pointing over her shoulder at a squat brick building.

"Well okay. Another time then. It was really a pleasure to meet you and I hope to see you again soon."

"Oh you will, I'm unavoidable!" the laughter that bubbled up from her was the sweetest sound Lee had ever heard and he had a hard time pulling himself away from her. "I'm glad you're here Lee."

"Oh? Why is that?" his hopes shot up at the thought of this woman being interested in him.

"Well, cause if you weren't I would have had to walk home alone." She smiled and winked at him when she realized that she'd just shot him down. Then she leaned over and kissed his cheek and turned to go into the building. Lee was stunned and could do nothing more than stand there with his mouth open as he watched her walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

The next day Lee woke up with Zak pounding on his door. The younger man was obviously in a hurry and Lee laughed when he saw his brother so worked up.

"What is your problem?"

"Bro, I've gotta get to training but I wanted to know if you'd come by later on and see me fly."

"I'd love to little brother. I thought while I was here I'd look up some old friends of mine but how about if I come by in the afternoon?"

"Sounds good, look for Kara, she'll know where I'm at. Then maybe we can hang out afterwards? I miss you and I kinda wanna catch up some more."

"It's a plan. Now can I go back to sleep?"

Zak laughed and waved his brother back to bed as he took off running for his class. When Lee woke again, this time at a more reasonable hour, he dressed in his sweats and t-shirts and went searching for his friends. Later that afternoon he was walking across a tarmac next to a hanger when Kara ran up beside him.

"Well it's about time you got here! I've been putting off Zak's run all morning so he could show off for you. C'mon!" she took off running and Lee had no choice but to follow her.

Zak lifted off smoothly and his flight was decent but Lee saw several things that could have been done better. He was proud of his baby brother though, and he decided to wait until later to bring up pointers. When Zak landed his Viper, Kara dismissed the class for the day and grabbed the brothers, one on each arm and pulled them out into the sunny day. They walked around the base for a while talking and swapping raunchy jokes and just enjoying the day. They stopped for a rest in a small park that was at the center of the base and started talking about what they wanted for dinner when Lauren wandered up. She looked sad and Kara immediately asked her what was wrong.

"Well it's not bad really, I got that transfer I wanted."

"The one to Geminon? That's great!" Kara patted Lauren on the shoulder in encouragement.

"Yeah, but I ship out tomorrow. I was kinda hoping to be able to spend some more time here," she looked pointedly at Lee who was standing behind Kara at the time.

"Well then, I guess we're gonna have to party extra hard tonight. Can't have you flying outta here with out one hell of a hangover now can we?" Kara turned to Zak and Lee and explained the situation and they both agreed to help with Lauren's send off. Lee noticed that Lauren had a camera hanging from her neck and asked her what it was for.

"Oh I wanted to take some pictures of the base and my friends, ya know so I can remember it all. I've been taking pictures of all the places I love around here all afternoon and I was headed over here to the park when I saw you three."

"Oh well surely then you'll need to have several pictures of you and those two goofballs then huh? I'll take them for you so you can be in the pictures," Lee offered, holding out his hand for the camera.

Lauren smiled and thanked him by handing him the camera. She huddled close to Zak and Kara and the three of them posed in a bunch of crazy poses while Lee snapped away. After she felt that there were enough pictures of her friends she reached for the camera again and Lee gently handed it back to her.

"Hey, how about a picture of you three? Who knows when I'll see you three all together again huh?" She directed Lee to go stand over next to Zak and Kara who were in the middle of a warm hug. Kara was looking at Zak while Lee and Zak looked at the camera. "Hey, that's great, hold it!" She smiled as she snapped the picture and Lee couldn't help but feel a tingle as he shared her enthusiasm.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

While the sun was setting over Saggitaron Zak and Kara decided the list of places that they just had to take Lauren to send her off right. Lee listened in but didn't recognize any of the names of the places they were talking about. He didn't really care either as long as he got to spend more time with Lauren. His eyes wandered over to where she was standing and he decided that he would try to let her know how he felt about her without being a jerk. If she didn't want a relationship that was fine but he had to at least try.

The first place they stopped at was a nice cozy restaurant where they all filled up on a delicious pasta dish that Lee had heard of but never tasted before. Lauren had picked a tangy red wine to go with the meal and everyone agreed that it was excellent. When they'd eaten so much Kara proclaimed she was about to burst, they agreed that it was time to move on with the night's festivities. Two blocks away they came to a bar that had a sports theme to it and large monitors on the walls showing the latest Pyramid games. A few shots later, Lee was feeling the alcohol and decided that he wanted to change seats with Zak so he could sit next to Lauren. Zak smiled as his brother leaned over and whispered his plan to him and happily switched seats. He made a big show of cozying up to Kara so Lee didn't look like he was desperate. If there was one thing in life that Lee Adama was terrible at it was being suave in front of a woman he was interested in. Zak had come to his rescue several times when they were younger and he saw the need to save his brother once more.

Kara soon tired of the sports bar and decided it was time to go dancing. They arrived at a warehouse that had been converted to a dance club in a while and Kara brazenly lead Zak in the door and straight to the dance floor. Lauren looked like she had just become terribly uncomfortable and she looked to Lee for any help he could give her. He smiled at her and leaned over to be heard over the loud music, "Do you want to get a drink?"

Lauren shook her head no and she looked wistfully at the dance floor. The floor was packed with people gyrating and flailing to the heavy beat of the music. Lee noticed that some of the couples on the floor were practically frakking right there in front of everyone and he looked around for something to distract him from the heat that was steadily rising up his neck. Lauren grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, already hopping in time to the music. When they worked their way into the middle of the crowd Lauren started to dance with some grace while Lee stood there looking mystified. She realized the problem was that he couldn't dance and she moved closer to him, shoving her arms under his and grabbing his hips. She rocked him back and forth and he couldn't help but laugh. She nodded her head approvingly and he rolled his eyes at her. Soon he was back on his own and he was actually moving along with the beat pretty handily. Lauren twirled off to dance with another man nearby who'd been looking at her and Lee suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. He quickly berated himself for being silly and laughed as Lauren turned back to him and looked at him in a very sexual manner.

Once more Lee felt the heat rush to his face and he knew he was blushing like a fool. He realized how silly he was being and he pushed his way through the crowd towards the bar leaving Lauren dancing with the other man. He asked the bartender for a glass of water and he gulped it down trying to cool his embarrassment as well as his skin. He leaned back against the bar and watched the crowd as they danced and tangled their bodies together. When the music changed a slower song came on and many of the people on the dance floor moved off to the side to find seats. Lee looked to his right and found Kara and Zak slowly swaying in time to the music, staring into each other's eyes and generally being oblivious to everything around them.

"There you are! I was looking all over for you!" Lauren slid up next to him at the bar and plucked the glass of water from him. She drank most of the rest of the glass and leaned over to Lee so she could be heard without yelling. "I was kinda hoping that you'd like to dance some more."

Lee looked out at the floor where the other couple was once more and made up his mind, "sure, let's go." He took Lauren's hand and lead her to the floor, pulling her close to him and resting his hands on her hips. The lost themselves in the beat of the music and their swaying moved them closer to each other until they were holding each other closer than they had expected. When the music changed back to a heavier beat again, they took no notice and kept swaying in their own little space of the floor. Soon they were being bumped and jostled by the frenetic dancers around them and they broke apart and headed back to the bar.

Zak and Kara were leaning on the bar, both looking smug as Lee and Lauren emerged from the crowd hand in hand. Kara actually elbowed Zak in the ribs to direct his attention to his brother.

"We wondered what happened to you. Guess you took to the idea of dancing after all," Zak shouted. "how about hitting another bar now? I've danced off all the shots so I'm ready for more. Gotta get you drunk too Lieutenant Baker."

Lauren smiled and nodded enthusiastically and they headed back out. Zak suggested a bar on the other side of the base so they hailed a cab and were on their way, all of them squeezed into a seat that was built for two or three people at most. Kara and Zak didn't seem to mind as it gave them the opportunity to get that much closer to one another but Lee was uncomfortable. He pushed himself as far over to the door as he could without falling out and he was surprised when Lauren scooted over closer to him instead of taking the extra room.

When they pulled up to the block that the bar was on, Kara directed the driver to let them out at the end of the block. As she was paying the driver Zak wandered over to a crowd of people that looked to be his own age. They started talking animatedly and Lee moved off to the edge of the sidewalk so he wouldn't block traffic. Kara joined the rowdy bunch of men and they all started laughing and pointing fingers at each other. Lauren hung back a bit from the group of men but waved and said hello to several of them, then she wandered slowly over to where Lee was leaning against a building.

"Didn't want to leave you on the outs. That's a bunch of the pilots in class right now. I'm sure you know how rowdy they can get," she chuckled as Lee nodded that yes he did know. "We shouldn't be fraternizing with them since we're instructors but that'll never stop Kara. She loves to be where the fun is." Lauren looked awkwardly over at the group and decided that they wouldn't be done laughing and talking anytime soon so she tilted her head in the direction of the bar and once more Lee nodded.

They made their way past the crowd and Zak noted that they were heading to the bar. As they walked Lauren cleared her throat a few times and then blurted out, "So tell me about the mystery of Lee Adama. I want to know all the gory details."

"I don't know if the details could be termed as 'gory' but I'll try to embellish it if you want," he grinned at her evilly. Her look of horror was clearly manufactured just for him and he chuckled. "Well you know that dad is a pilot, actually now he's commanding the _Galactica_ but in his heart he's still in a Viper. Well, dad always wanted me and Zak to follow in his footsteps and you know how that turned out."

They reached the door of the bar and Lee politely held it for her. She grinned at him and dipped herself down in a little curtsey. Their laughter carried them into the crowd of people and they made their way across the room to a dark booth in the corner. A haggard looking waitress came over and huffed at them as if she was angry at them for sitting in her section and making more work for her. Lauren politely ordered a pitcher of beer and a round of Ambrosia shots. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence between them Zak & Kara tumbled into the seat across from them and Zak began frantically looking around for the waitress.

"Relax bro, she's coming back in a minute." Lee looked over at Kara who was rolling her eyes at Zak and his impatience. He caught Lauren smiling out of the corner of his eye and he noticed that she was trying very hard not to laugh at Zak. Within a minute or two Zak was ready to bounce out of the booth and find the waitress himself. She finally returned, and Zak looked grateful and then ordered another round of shots. The waitress scowled at him and left.

"To your health and to Lauren, friends to the end" Kara toasted, raising her glass and managing to slop a little of the Ambrosia out of the glass onto her wrist. Zak leaned over and licked the green liquid off her skin making both of them smile. Lauren watched the display and began to squirm in her seat. For some reason the way Kara and Zak acted made Lauren feel uncomfortable. Lee took note of the reaction and he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"We can go somewhere else if they're making you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm okay for now but I may just take you up on that offer in a while. It depends on how mushy they get," she smiled up at him and clinked her glass on his. They both raised their glasses and they drank together, Lee's eyes on Lauren and Lauren staring right back at him. She stifled a giggle after she drank her Ambrosia and Lee tilted his head in a question. "Well, you never finished giving me the gory details now did you?"

"I'm not sure what else you want to know about me."

"Where are you from, what did you want to be when you grew up…other than a pilot, what's your favorite color? I don't know, tell me anything."

"Well, I…uh…I'm from Caprica, lived there most of my life except the occasional reassignment. Dad and mom divorced when we were kids so we were raised mainly by mom. Oh…what did I want to be when I grew up? You're gonna laugh."

"No! I promise," she raised her hand as if she were swearing an oath.

"Well I wanted to be a chef. I love to cook and I always wanted to open a little bar that served great food and was a perfect place to just relax and hang out."

"Wow."

"Wow?"

"Lee Adama here you sit beside me now telling me that instead of blasting the evils of the universe out of the sky, you'd prefer to cook it good food and make it fat and happy?"

He lowered his eyes like he was embarrassed and the red began to creep up his neck again. She saw what her remark had done to him and she reached over and hugged him, fluffing up his short brown hair with her fingers. They both broke into peals of laughter over this and Zak and Kara began to look at them like they were insane.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

The night wore on and Zak and Kara were well on their way to being drunk while Lee and Lauren spent more time talking than drinking. They discovered that they both liked the same kinds of music and they had a mock argument over what movies were better than others. By the end of the night Lee felt like he'd known Lauren his whole life. He felt comfortable with her like an old sweater that makes you feel safe and happy. When last round was called they paid their tab and Zak and Kara staggered out of the bar. Lauren found them on the sidewalk in an argument over whether they would walk home or take a cab. Zak won and a cab got hailed.

As it pulled to the curb, Lee pulled Lauren back before she got in the cab and called out to the others, "you two go on ahead. It's a nice night so we're gonna walk home."

After the cab left Lauren looked up at Lee and asked, "What was that all about? I thought you wanted to get home."

"I do but I also want to keep talking to you. You _are_ leaving tomorrow so I've got to get in as much embarrassment as I can tonight right?"

"Do I really embarrass you that much?"

"Oh absolutely!" Lee couldn't keep his face straight and he broke into laughter. "Seriously though, I don't think I've ever blushed as much in my entire life as I have tonight."

Lauren huffed at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "Lieutenant Adama, I will have you know…"

Lee stopped her by grabbing her arm and jerking her towards him. She ran into him and he wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her. "I'll have you know, I enjoy when you make me blush." His lips met hers softly and when she pressed back against him he deepened the kiss. Lauren's arms snaked around his waist and she molded her body to his, the heat from their bodies warming the cool night air. Lauren began to shiver a little and Lee pulled back from the passionate kiss.

"Guess we'd better head back before you freeze huh?"

"I don't think that's possible right now. I'd say I'm definitely on the warm side. But I do have to get up pretty early so yeah, we should go."

They walked back to her building holding hands and occasionally stopping to indulge in another soul searing kiss. By the time they'd gotten to her building Lee knew that he wanted to spend more time with Lauren but how could he do that when she was headed for Geminon? He held her tight in the doorway of her flat and an idea popped into his head.

"How hard would it be for us to stay in touch with you on Geminon and me on Caprica?"

"Probably not that hard, the comm system on both bases is pretty good. Why?"

"Lauren, I really don't want to let you go. There is something about you that is making me crazy and I've got to find out what it is."

"Well Lee, from what I've seen these past few days, you're pretty crazy without me. Why would you want to add to the insanity?" Her smile shone in the dim light and he knew that her sense of humor was a key point to his attraction.

"You know what I mean. I've really enjoyed spending time with you. In fact I've had a better time with you than I've had in a very, very long time. So I want to keep in touch with you and see where this goes."

Lauren thought for a moment and was seeming to choose her words carefully. "Lee…I'm not going to lie to you and say that I don't feel something because I certainly do, but do you really think something can happen between us when we're so far apart?"

"I don't know, but damned if I'm not going to try to find out. If nothing else I want to stay in touch with you because you are one hell of a woman and I'd like to keep talking with you."

Now it was Lauren's turn to blush. She laughed nervously and looked around for something to save her from her embarrassment. Lee wasn't going to take no for an answer and he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. He was touched to see there was a tear forming on her cheek and he wiped it away and leaned in to kiss her once more.

When he finally walked away from her flat some time later, he felt as if there was suddenly a large piece of himself that was missing.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

When Lee returned to Caprica he sent several messages to Lauren on Geminon but he never got a response. He'd reached the personnel department at the base several times to verify she was indeed there and they assured him she was, so why wasn't she answering him? All at once he felt as if she'd betrayed him, used him and never intended to keep up with him. He liberally berated himself for being so foolish to think that she'd wanted anything more than someone to pass some time with. After a week and a half of trying unsuccessfully to reach her he finally gave up and went about his life. Four days later he got a surprising call from Kara. She was bubbly and full of wild tales about how horribly Zak was acting off duty and Lee laughed at them all. Then Kara made his night perfect.

"Oh Lee, by the way I wanted to let you know that Lauren is okay. She got reassigned a week after she got to Geminon. It was a good thing, bumped up a pay grade too! Damn shame I lost that bet."

"What bet was that?" Lee released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and he tried to look as if he didn't care too much. The truth was that he was close to bursting from this wonderful news. She hadn't discarded him after all!

"Oh a long time ago when we first got ranked as Lieutenants we made a bet about whoever got promoted to the top of the heap first. I seem to have lost." She pouted a bit for him but it was an act and he could see that she was proud of her friend. "Anyway, she's out at Scorpion Ship Yards now. I talked to her the other day and she told me to tell you she'd call you soon. Guess that makes you happy now huh lover boy?"

The goofy grin on his face was enough for her. She laughed a bit more with him then signed off and Lee danced around his room laughing at himself.

When he finally did get in touch with Lauren he told her how silly he'd been about the whole thing and she reassured him that she wanted nothing more than to remain friends with him, as well as any other relationship 'upgrades' that happened.

They spent the next few months contacting each other as often as they could and simply making each other laugh. However, both of them could tell the other was yearning for more contact. Lee suggested one night that he pull some strings and get Lauren transferred back to Caprica. She sighed wistfully and told him to let it all happen naturally. She later confessed to him that she'd been trying to get the transfer there all along. They made plans that they both knew would never happen and they talked about what life would be like after the Fleet.

Lauren felt herself falling for this man and she was pretty certain that he felt the same about her. She loved sitting in front of her comm with her eyes closed and listening to his voice. She could picture his deep blue eyes and feel the silkiness of his hair. Many times she caught herself gazing out a window and looking in the direction of Caprica. Other times she spent hours staring at the picture she had, the one of all three of them, Lee with Kara and Zak. She loved that picture and after a while she had to have another copy made since she'd worn creases in the paper of the original.

Six months went by and Lee was asked to teach a class on Aerelon regarding dogfight tactics. He'd been working with several test pilots that had been working the bugs out of the new model fighters and he'd learned quite a few things about their capabilities. So when his CO asked him to instruct the class he agreed. He hadn't had time to let Lauren know he'd be gone but he'd try to reach her as soon as he got to the base on Aerelon. He arrived late in the night and had to begin the class the next morning so he went to sleep, reminding himself to try to comm her as soon as he had a chance.

The next morning he reported to a Lieutenant on the base who lead him to the room he'd be using for the next three weeks. Lee slid a few charts up on the board behind him and was getting ready to put his papers in order when the first of the pilots in the session walked into the room. The boisterous men in the front of the small knot of pilots looked like they'd be the troublemakers of the bunch and Lee made a mental note to keep an eye on them. He went back to his papers and paid no attention to the rest of the people filtering in until he heard a loud cough at the door. He looked up and was shocked to see Lauren standing there. A huge grin split his face and he began to walk towards her to wrap her in a hug. Luckily he stopped himself because the base CO walked in the door directly behind her.

Lauren grinned and went to her seat as the CO directed Lee off to a corner to offer up words of advice about the pilots in the room and what to watch out for. Lee took it all in with as much attention as he could muster but his gaze kept wandering back to Lauren. He ran his eyes up and down her and he didn't think he'd ever seen her look more beautiful than she did right now. He loved the way her tanks hugged the curves of her arms and chest. The flight suit that was unzipped to the waist and wrapped around her hips emphasized the gentle swell of her butt and Lee began to become exceptionally glad that he had a podium to stand behind.

He took roll and introduced himself and smiled constantly at the fact that Lauren was acting strictly professional about the whole thing. Unfortunately he didn't have a chance to actually speak to her until the morning break was called. She made a point to stay behind the others who were going to grab drinks or smoke and Lee rewarded her by pulling her into a side room and kissing her with all of the built up passion he couldn't expel in the past months. She returned his passion and any doubts of her not wanting to be with him flew from his mind.

They made plans to leave for lunch together and Lee could hardly contain his excitement. They wandered around the base trying to avoid senior officers and the rest of the class, catching each other up on the turn of events that brought them back together. Every few minutes when they would pass a doorway or an alley between buildings Lee would pull Lauren into a deep kiss and she would happily respond until it became something of a game to see what they could get away with. Lauren suggested a nice quiet restaurant she knew nearby the base for dinner and Lee agreed to meet her there after the class was over. They came to a decision on the way back to the class to avoid letting anyone else know about their relationship and they both put on their game faces and returned to the class.

The rest of the day was difficult for both of them because they couldn't help but smile at each other from time to time and Lee had to do his best not to continuously pick Lauren to answer questions just so he could hear her voice. When the class ended, Lauren bolted for the door and practically ran back to the small dorm room she was sharing with another pilot in the class. When Susanna came through the door Lauren was already out of her flight suit and putting on a soft pair of black pants and a plain white t-shirt.

"Going somewhere?" Susanna asked with a grin.

"Yeah, you know I'm a home town girl right? I thought I'd head over to the town and look up some old friends of mine."

"Mind if I tag along? I've got no plans tonight," she said as she threw her gear on her bunk.

"Well I'm not sure if you'd have fun with a bunch of farmers kids. We'll probably just hang out and hash over old times ya know. Not much fun unless you were there." Lauren hoped the edginess in her voice wasn't overly telling.

"Yeah, guess you're right. So do you know if there are any decent bars on this rock?"

Lauren advised her of several in the immediate area and started for the door. Susanna reminded her not to stay out too late since she didn't think Lt. Adama would take to kindly to her being late or inattentive in the morning. Lauren tried hard not to laugh and vowed to return at a decent hour.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

The street in front of the restaurant was crowded and Lauren thought she saw a few senior officers go past but she tried to look inconspicuous and ducked into the doorway. The Maitre D' looked down his nose at her casual dress but moved towards her to help her anyway. She smiled at him and then ignored him as she saw Lee already at a table. He stood up as she approached and she reached for him to give him a quick kiss. He smiled and they sat, saying nothing but just enjoying being in each other's company. Their waiter came over to the table and poured Lauren a glass of the wine that Lee had ordered.

He raised his glass in a toast and clinked it against hers, " To beautiful friendships and even more beautiful women."

"You sir, are full of shit!" she giggled as she sipped her wine.

"Seriously, you are the most beautiful woman I know. No…don't laugh at me. Lauren, I'm severely turned on by your looks but even more so by who you are. You make me feel like I'm flying without a Viper and I really do not want that feeling to go away."

The blush that shaded her cheeks was endearing and she struggled to speak but she finally choked out, "Lee…I…thank you. You've made me so amazingly happy since I met you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Their waiter returned and looked at them, waiting for them to order and Lauren hurriedly opened her menu, searching for something she recognized. Lee snatched the menu out of her hands and ordered for both of them which delighted her. After the waiter left they made small talk, discussing the course and what would be taught in it. Their food came and they both dug into it with gusto, comments going back and forth about the quality of the meal.

Once they'd stuffed themselves on fine food, coffee and a very rich dessert, they decided to go for a walk to work off some of the food. Lee guided her up a quiet street with small bungalows on it where many of the base's VIPs were housed. Lee stopped in front of one at the end of the street and looked at Lauren to see if she wanted to come in.

"I really shouldn't, my roommate is waiting up for me and she's worried I'm going to get in trouble. You wouldn't want to get me in trouble would you?"

He laughed at her implication and nodded, "Yup, I'd dearly love to get you into some exceptional trouble young lady."

She grabbed him by the hips and pulled him sharply to her, reaching up to kiss him with the passion he inspired in her. Lee walked her backwards to the door where he turned her around and leaned her against it so anyone passing by would see only him. His hands roamed up and down her back, slipping under her shirt and caressing the soft skin. She shivered as he sent spasms of exquisite fire along her spine and straight into her core. They devoured each other with their mouths for several minutes, hands exploring soft planes and gentle curves of each other's bodies.

Lauren broke the kiss and looked away, up the street to where a car was approaching. "I really should get back to my bunk. Susanna's right, I don't want to get in trouble with my instructor, he seems like a real hard ass about the rules."

Lee couldn't help but smile at her comment and he sighed as she pulled away. "Are you sure? I bet I can manage to get the instructor to cut you some slack."

"No, I really don't want any slack. I want to show this guy what I'm made of on my own merit," her grin was deep and she stressed all the right parts to let him know the subtext of her words. "However, I seem to recall on our schedule that there is no class the day after tomorrow. Perhaps Mr. Adama would be interested in resuming this conversation tomorrow evening? Maybe we could even go inside and see the lovely 'décor' of your home?"

"I would be humbled to have you see the 'décor' my lady. So I assume I can have the pleasure of your company for the whole night?"

"I'm sure I can think of something to shake my roommate. Yeah! Got a plan already. Gotta go now, can't make the teacher mad, he'll make me clean the erasers or something. Wouldn't want to be late for my appointment tomorrow night and if I had to stay after that would seriously put a damper on it all huh?"

Lee couldn't help but laugh at her. She chuckled back and started down the path in front of his house. Then she turned and ran back to him, jumping in front of him and sliding in under his arms for one last kiss. Then she laughed and jogged off into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

Lauren made it back to her dorm earlier than she'd expected and she found the room empty. Susanna must still be out barhopping. Lauren took the opportunity to go take a nice hot shower and relax a bit. She was laying on her bunk reading when Susanna wandered in.

"What no luck with your friends tonight?"

"No I found them. Made some plans to spend more time with them tomorrow. I kinda took what you said about not being late to heart. Adama does kinda seem like a hard ass so it's probably best not to piss him off this early in the session."

"I doubt you could piss him off if you tried," Susanna fell onto her bunk with a loud crash.

"What do you mean by that? I'm pretty sure I am capable of pissing off any and all superior officers."

"I'm sure you can but I'm serious, didn't you catch the looks he was giving you today? He likes you or something."

"Not a chance! He must have been looking at you. Either that or he's heard all the nasty stories about me that some CO or another has circulated to warn all the others."

Susanna stood back up and looked over the edge of the top bunk at Lauren, "You are seriously not aware of yourself are you? People like you just amaze me. Anyway, I'm gonna go have a shower and hit the rack."

Lauren lay back on her bunk and threw her arm over her eyes as Susanna walked back out of the room. She smiled to herself and fell asleep remembering how Lee tasted and felt.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

Lauren walked into the classroom the next morning in high spirits. Susanna was stopped halfway into the door and Lauren raised up on her toes to see over the taller woman's shoulder. Her eyes traveled to the front podium where Lee was bent over the table talking to one of the other pilots in the class. Susanna leaned back over her shoulder to whisper to Lauren, "What were you saying about a hard ass? Damn!" she made a hissing noise through her teeth and Lauren nodded eagerly in agreement.

Once they made their way to their seats, the day went fast. Lauren tried to hide her looks at Lee as he strutted across the front of the room and she fended off comments from Susanna all day. She made a mental note to try harder to throw Susanna off the trail. It wouldn't do to have a CO from this base come down on either one since they certainly weren't supposed to be fraternizing. Lee was an instructor and expected to be unbiased and separated from the students.

Lauren discretely passed Lee a note on her way out of the class for the day, telling him that she would meet him at his place as soon as she could shower and convince Susanna she was going to be where she wasn't really going to be. She hated deceiving the other woman but it was completely necessary.

Back in her dorm she passed time making a show of writing a letter and rearranging her gear while she waited for Susanna to either leave or at least go elsewhere for long enough to pack a bag and get out of there. Finally the other woman left and Lauren threw some clothes into a sack and headed out across the base.

Once she was sure that no one was inadvertently following her, she crossed the base and worked her way to the street that Lee's bungalow was on. She darted down the street and ran up to his front door, panting from her exertion. Her knock was fast and she heard him moving around inside the house. She was busy looking up and down the street when the door opened and he wrapped his fingers in her shirt, pulling her into the house.

He slammed the door behind them and pushed her roughly up against it pinning her arms over her head. She grunted as her breath was knocked out of her but she recovered quickly as he slid his arm around her and kissed her deeply. She leaned towards him but he continued to pin her to the door. Apparently all bets were off at this point. She freed her wrists from over her head and reached for him struggling to lift his shirt up and over his head and throwing it on the floor behind him. Digging her nails into the soft flesh of his back she showed her delight in the treatment she was receiving. His lips and tongue traced lines down her chin and neck, teeth nibbling along her neck as he pulled her shirt up and off as well.

Once he'd freed her from her shirt his hands slid up her stomach to her chest, searching for her breasts. When he'd found the soft warm flesh he was searching for he bent his head to her nipples and sucked one in. Softly rolling her nipple in his mouth his other hand massaged the opposite nipple until it was hard and she moaned. Her hands slid down to his waist and began tugging at the button on his pants. When she succeeded she unzipped them as well and they dropped lower around his waist. Her fingers groped for the prize she sought and he gasped when she found it.

His tongue continued to trace circles around her nipples, making her gasp and hiss in delight. Then he reached for her pants and began to slide them down over her hips. He stopped when she circled his shaft with her hand and began to slide down in front of him.

"Oh no you don't" he growled and pulled her back upright as he bent before her, pulling her pants down and off. He smiled up at her and attacked her thigh with his tongue, sliding it up as he rose slowly. His hands trailed after, and soon they reached the soft warm spot that was his goal. When he stood in front of her she rolled her eyes back in her head and gasped as his fingers found the moist center of her and slid inside. He found her wet and ready for him so he lifted her leg and placed it on his hip, then he pushed her back into the door one more time and reached for her other leg, lifting her and pinning her against the door. She pulled herself up on the door frame, then wrapped her arms around his neck, wiggling her hips seductively at him. He smiled and slid himself up and into her.

The explosion of ecstasy that had been built up for so many months threatened to overwhelm them both. Lee thrust into her and lifted her slightly so he could envelop himself in her completely. She wedged her shoulders against the door and used the leverage to be able to push back into him as she swiveled her hips, finding a rough rhythm. When he buried his face in her neck as he neared his peak, Lauren gasped wildly, feeling him tense inside her as she crashed towards her own orgasm. She heard him growl into her shoulder while he shuddered against her. She couldn't help herself and she cried out as a million white lights exploded behind her eyes.

They stayed molded together, each trying to catch their breath and slow their racing hearts. Lauren shifted slightly on Lee's hips and he hoisted her higher, reaching under her legs to seat her better. She sighed as she lay her head against his neck and he kissed her shoulder. Suddenly he lifted her up and he began walking away from the door towards the small bedroom. She smiled at him as he looked over her shoulder to see where he was going and when he reached the bed he crawled up on it and walked them across it on his knees. When he got far enough up on it, he lay her down on the mattress gently. She fell away from him and he flopped down next to her, throwing his arm across her middle.

They spent the next several hours exploring each other's bodies and taking great pleasure in it. When they reached the point where they could no longer recover after their lovemaking they slept, wrapped in each other's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

They spent the next day, talking, laughing and making love over and over. Lee delighted her by cooking her a glorious meal that she stuffed herself on. Late in the night Lauren returned to her dorm and walked through the minefield of questions Susanna threw at her. She'd thought of a lengthy scenario to provide Susanna with on the way back to the base and she used most of it in a convincing manner. Susanna thought that Lauren had ended up spending the night with an old boyfriend of hers so she ribbed Lauren constantly about hooking up with a 'farm boy'. Lauren returned the playful kidding and teased Susanna about trying to find a local farm boy of her very own.

The next several days Lee and Lauren spent every free moment they could together and had several close calls with CO's and other VIPs passing dangerously close to them as they snuck a kiss or a cuddle. When the time came for the pilots in the class to demonstrate that they'd learned the procedures and tricks Lee had been teaching them, they headed out to the landing strip where six of the newest Mark VII Vipers waited. The fleet had been phasing in the Mark VII models for several months and trying to phase out the older models at the same time. Aerelon had just received a squadron worth of the Mark VIIs and this was part of them.

When Lauren finally had a chance to get her hands on one of them she was pleasantly surprised by the ease it maneuvered with. She'd been grounded for several months while she worked on Scorpion Ship Yards and the flight made her spirit soar. She pulled off several tricks she'd been saving up from when she was on Saggitaron with Kara. In fact Kara was the one that had taught her the moves and she'd been waiting to try them on someone who wasn't expecting them. The other pilot she was up against was good, but not as good as she was, and after a lengthy dogfight she ended up with a missile lock on him that he couldn't shake.

When they landed he congratulated her on the 'kill' and she praised his flying as well. Lee motioned her over and told her that her flying was quite unorthodox and asked her where she'd learned moves like that. Since she was in the presence of other pilots she made a point of using Kara's full name and rank. Lee looked surprised but nodded his head, knowing full well exactly what a hotshot Kara was. Lauren was put up against several other of the pilots and she was only 'shot down' twice which impressed Lee.

Susanna was full of questions for Lauren after the class about where she'd learned those maneuvers and she wondered aloud if she could find Kara to teach her some as well. The next few days they spent in the same manner and the rest of the class soon matched skills with each other so as a whole they were equal. There were a few surprises when one pilot or another would pull of a stunt that the others didn't see coming but for the most part they all blended quite well.

The three weeks of the class flew by faster than either Lauren or Lee wanted and suddenly they had no time left. Lauren was due back at Scorpion and Lee needed to return to Caprica. As usual, they promised to call each other as often as possible and they even made plans for meeting up during the coming holidays.

The day came that they needed to go their separate ways and Lauren could barely keep herself from crying when the reality hit her. She passed it off to Susanna as being sad because she was leaving her friends once more. Susanna, who had actually become really friendly with one of the locals, was just as sad to leave but she was requesting a transfer to this base and the base commander was receptive to the idea. She was hoping to be able to be back on planet within the month and Lauren wished her luck. They promised to keep in touch with each other and went their separate ways.

Lauren managed to get away for a while before her transport left to spend time with Lee. They had a nice meal together and walked along the park lined streets of the town no longer caring if they were seen. The sadness of their parting was tugging at both of them and they tried desperately to hide it from each other. They circled their way back to the transport station so Lauren could catch her transport and Lee left her with a passionate kiss and a promise to talk to her as soon as he returned to Caprica. She spent her flight back staring at the picture of him she kept with her all the time and she made up her mind to find a way to be transferred to Caprica as soon as she could.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11

Then Lee got the call he'd been dreading for so long.

The call was unexpected but he'd been waiting for it ever since Zak had signed up to be a Viper pilot. Zak had been reassigned to Caprica some time ago and was at one of the smaller bases on the other side of the planet. Lee hadn't had time to go visit him but he got reports from various friends in the fleet about Zak's progress. Now he was getting the call he never wanted to get, Zak's Viper had gone down.

The official explanation was mechanical error but Lee knew what had really happened. When he reached the base he read the reports and knew he was right. Zak's crash had been because he just wasn't cut out to be a pilot. After he knew the reality of it all he went searching for Kara.

When he found her she was huddled in a corner of her bunk, crying hysterically. He couldn't say anything, but he held her for a long time and let her tears mix with his own. When they'd both cried themselves out they talked, about the crash, about Zak and about how Kara was dealing with all of it. She surprised Lee by telling him that Zak had recently asked her to marry him and she'd accepted. The shock of that set in and Lee tried to come to terms with that revelation.

Plans were made to send Zak's body to Caprica City where the rest of the Adama family was buried and Lee contacted Lauren to give her the news. She did the best thing she could for him and told him she'd be there as soon as she could. Lee brought Kara to the base near the city and waited until his father arrived. When the Old Man's transport landed Lee went to meet him and they settled him into the VIP quarters at the base. The next day Lee took Kara on his rounds with him to keep her mind off the matter at hand. Somehow the Old Man caught up with them and confronted Kara. He was relatively calm about the whole fiasco and apparently held no ill will towards her. They talked for a long time while Lee was working and the three of them spent time that night telling funny stories about Zak. By the end of the night Lee felt like Kara was really a member of the family.

The next morning Lee had some time alone with his father before the funeral and they talked about the reasons why the accident happened. The Old Man was convinced that it was in fact a mechanical failure and that Zak was not to blame for the mishap. Lee however, was not so sure about that. He tried time and again to get it to sink in that Zak had never been cut out to be a pilot in the first place. Finally Lee got so frustrated with the back and forth argument that he ended up yelling at his father the fact that their whole childhood had been spent listening to how important it was for them to be Viper pilots.

"You're not a real man until you're a Viper pilot! Isn't that what you always said dad?"

The senior Adama looked like he'd just been slapped by his son. "Lee, you know that's not what I meant."

"I know that _now_ but when I was a kid it meant something else. Dad, you have to realize what your words meant to us. Zak and I thought you were one of the Gods when we were kids," he paused and cleared his throat. "Saying stuff like that to us was what drove us to do what we did. It's what made me enlist and be a pilot. It's what made Zak do it too. You said that so often when we were kids we believed it and now it's killed Zak. He was never cut out to be a pilot and certainly not in a Viper. He wouldn't have died if you hadn't filled his head with stuff like that."

"Lee, please tell me that you don't believe that."

"Dad, I don't know what to believe anymore. I need to get out of here for a while. I'll see you at the funeral," he spit the words out like venom as he went out the door.

Later at the funeral the painful words that were thrown about had not worn off and Lee found himself standing on one side of Zak's casket with their mother while Kara stood with the Old Man on the other. When the priest had finished speaking Lee solemnly placed Zak's Viper wings on the coffin as it was being lowered into the ground. When the ceremony was over father and son walked away in opposite directions, causing a rift between them that would end up lasting for two years.


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 12

Lee went back to his life while his father spent time visiting with key officers in the fleet at the base. During one of the meetings about the new defense system that was being put into place, Lauren was in attendance. She'd requested the leave to attend the funeral and her CO had told her that there was a conference on Caprica that he needed to send a rep to anyway so the timing was tragic, but perfect for getting her there. After the meeting let out, Commander Adama followed Lauren down the hall, trying to get her attention. She eventually heard him and stopped to let him catch up to her.

"Lieutenant…Baker is it? If I could have a moment of your time please."

"Of course Commander, what can I do for you?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong Lieutenant, but you were at my son' s funeral the other day."

"Sir, yes I was."

"Then if I may," he motioned her into an open office and shut the door behind them. Being the polite gentleman he was he pulled one of the chairs out for her and then when she sat he pulled one over to face her. "This is totally off the records so please let's be comfortable. If I may inquire, how did you know my son?"

"Actually sir, I'm a friend of _both_ of your sons. Zak and Kara and I became friends at Saggitaron and that's also where I met Lee."

"So you're the one."

"Excuse me sir? I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Forgive me, Kara and I had a long talk the other day. She mentioned the time they spent at Saggitaron and of course Lee was brought up. She let it slip that she had introduced Lee to someone there. I assume that means that you are the one," he smiled at her gently, reassuring her that he was fine with the events.

"Yes sir, I was the one that Kara introduced to Lee. I spent a lot of time with Zak and Kara in those days and I felt it was important to be here to honor him." She looked down at her hands in her lap and tried to keep herself composed.

"Well I thank you for being there, and I thank you for being a good friend to my boys."

"Of course sir, they are both fine men."

"They are. You left the funeral with Lee didn't you?" He smiled as she nodded at him. "Good." He rose from his chair and opened the door, holding it for her. "It was good to meet you Lieutenant, take care."

She saluted him as she left and turned down the hall. She was almost to the door when he called after her, "Lieutenant, one more thing." She turned back to him and tipped her head to one side waiting for him to continue. "Take care of him for me," the smile on his face told her that he knew his son didn't need him anymore but that he still worried. In answer she simply nodded and they went their separate ways.


	13. Chapter 13

CH 13

The next few months went by quickly, Lauren was sent on a six month assignment to Tauron that she had eagerly accepted. Lee hadn't wanted her to go but it was an opportunity for Lauren to expand her knowledge and perhaps to find something she'd enjoy doing after leaving the fleet. Lee spent the time working on a project that was designed to create and test new styles of fighters.

When Lauren returned to Scorpion she found out that she was now entitled to a two week R & R so she immediately called Lee to see if they could meet someplace. He wasn't sure if he could get away but promised he'd find out and return her call the next day.

He pulled a few strings and cleared a pass for himself so they made plans to meet on Picon which was between them spatially. They spent their vacation being tourists and seeing all of the sights Picon had to offer, as well as spending plenty of time in their hotel room. Once more when they had to part Lauren felt as if a piece of her was being torn out but she knew that it wouldn't be forever. She made up her mind and vowed to Lee that she would do whatever she could to get herself transferred to Caprica finally and she knew with enough pressure she really could get her CO to let her go. Lee told her he wouldn't get his hopes up but she knew he was hoping for just that.

It took her four weeks to convince her CO, by constant pestering, to approve her transfer back to Caprica. She'd talked to Lee several times since her return to Scorpion but never told him of her attempt to transfer. She felt it would be a much better surprise if she just arrived with out being announced. While she was packing her things she called him to tell him that she'd be on a maneuver for a week and unreachable. That should give her enough time to get to Caprica and find him.

Her plan went off without a hitch and she arrived at the base on Caprica five days later. She discretely asked around about where Lee was, and found his off base flat in the local directory. She arrived at his doorstep one night and laughed as she knocked. Apparently he was in the middle of cooking a meal because he came to the door with a pot of water in his hand and a towel over his shoulder. His jaw dropped when he saw who was on the other side of the door and he nearly dropped the pot as well.

"Lauren! What are you doing here?"

"Surprise! I got transferred…guess where," her grin dazzled like the sun to him.

"Oh Gods but that's wonderful! Come on in I was just cooking dinner, I'll just throw more on if you're hungry."

"Starved actually. But I'd rather have a hug. And possibly a kiss if you could find it in your heart."

He laughed at her and ran across the room to the small kitchen where he put the pot down and loped back across the room to scoop her up in his arms. They kissed and hugged for several minutes until a loud beeping came from the kitchen and Lee ran back to the kitchen to rescue the food from burning. She walked across the room and sat on one of the stools by the counter, watching the ease and grace of the man she loved. He cooked a magnificent dinner and made it look like he hadn't even tried. They sat on the lumpy old couch for most of the night, laughing, talking and holding each other tight.

The next day Lauren reported to the base CO and was given her assignment. Thankfully she was put in the same area of the base as Lee so they could see each other more often. She turned down base housing and opted to look for a small flat in the city, an idea which Lee quickly shot down saying that she would have to move in with him. She loved that idea and they spent an afternoon rearranging the small flat to make room for her meager possessions.

Life settled into a routine for them and they eased into a happy normality. Lauren occasionally had to travel to the base on the other side of Caprica but she was seldom gone for more than a few weeks at a time. Soon their conversations began to emphasize their settling down and the idea of marriage was brought up. Lee was the one that broached the subject but Lauren never really committed to the idea. She kept changing the topic when it came up and Lee began to wonder if she really wanted to be with him.

Finally he confronted her about her hedging and she admitted that she didn't want to make the commitment without knowing for certain that she could find a life outside of the fleet. She knew Lee had wanted to open a bar or a restaurant and she supported his dream but she didn't see herself in that venture. She wasn't the type to wait tables or run a cash register. Lauren felt she needed to have a job that would make her happy as well and she wasn't sure if she could find something that would please her. Lee told her that he would happily take care of her while she looked but she refused his offer and made it clear that she would contribute or not be a part of the marriage. Lee respected her decision and the subject was dropped for a time.

Time passed quickly for the couple and they lived happily, and hectically day to day as they both became more respected members of the base's staff. Lauren had already been promoted to full Lieutenant when she was sent to Scorpion and soon after she arrived at Scorpion, Lee had been made full Lieutenant as well. Now Lee's CO was talking about bumping him to Captain and he was excited about the prospect. He'd made every effort he could to convince his CO that he was indeed supposed to be a Captain.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch 14

Lee was jolted back to the present as the tram grinded into the station. He smiled as he thought of how wonderful his time with Lauren had been and he practically danced down the stairs from the station to the street below. He'd been running a scenario of how he'd make tonight perfect through his head all day and had even asked some of his buddies for advice on what to say to express himself but not sound like a sap. He decided on cooking Lauren her favorite meal and then dancing with her in the living room. Then he'd propose to her and if she said yes, well he'd make it up as he went along from there.

He walked down the block that their flat was on and he paused in the doorway once more to remember all of the things he wanted to say to her. Then he headed up the stairs to their flat. He should have just enough time to shower and get most of the meal prepared before she returned home. When he reached their doorway he was surprised and worried to find their door unlocked. He was pretty sure he'd locked it this morning when he left. Maybe Lauren had forgotten to lock it on her way out.

He walked through the tiny flat and found Lauren laying on the bed crying. His heart dropped as he rushed across the room to her side. "Lauren, baby, what's wrong?"

She choked on a sob and looked up into his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Lee…I…" she just couldn't speak for all of the crying so he pulled her to his chest and stroked her hair, waiting for her to calm down enough to speak. When she'd gotten her sobbing under control she looked at him with a face that made his heart break. Something terrible had happened but he couldn't possibly guess what it was.

"Lee, I got transferred!"

"What? Where? Why?" his exasperation was evident and he rose from the bed and began pacing back and forth, chewing on his lip.

"There wasn't anything I could do about it. Colonel Malakos ordered it and there's nothing I can do about it, I have to go."

"Where?"

"Picon. And Lee, I ship out in two days," her voice hitched as she began to cry once more. He returned to the bed, wrapping her in his arms and rocking her back and forth, all thoughts of the night he'd planned slipping from his mind.

Two days later Lee tearfully watched as Lauren walked up the ramp to the transport she was assigned to. He felt like his heart had broken and there was nothing that he could do about it. He'd gotten so comfortable having Lauren be a part of his life that he'd forgotten how to live with out her. He'd tried pulling strings to keep her on Caprica but the Colonel that had transferred her had done so specifically because Lauren was the best person for the assignment and Colonel Malakos very seldom did not get his way.

So a resigned Lee helped Lauren pack up her few belongings and they made plans for her departure. They had promised over and over that they would call each other as often as they could and when they had time of they'd meet at a hotel or resort and spend time together. Lee knew in his heart that he'd not seen the last of Lauren and that she was destined to be with him so he put on a brave face and watched her leave his life once more.

He knew her transport was a slow one and it would take her almost a week to get to Picon so he tried to distract himself by throwing himself into his work with all his attention. He'd been accepted a while back into a pilot test group and he was currently testing new design modification for the fleet. The opportunity was just what he needed to finally get the promotion he'd been waiting for and he was made a Captain. He'd almost gotten to the point where he wasn't feeling the pain of Lauren's leaving when a string of accidents at the test facility put everyone on edge.

The CO of the project ordered everyone to leave the facility while a crew came in to determine the source of the accidents so Lee was at home when the call came in. He had been cooking a light meal and chopping lettuce for a salad when the comm buzzed loudly. Thinking it must be Lauren finally checking in he ran to it and waited for the image to resolve, however he was disappointed to find a small man who looked amazingly similar to a weasel instead.

"Captain Adama? Oh…yes there you are. Captain, and congratulations by the way on your promotion, I am Aaron Doral of the fleet's public relations department. I'm sure you are aware of the _Galactica's_ impending decommissioning ceremony correct?"

Lee had known about the ceremony and that his father had planned to retire along with his ship but he wasn't interested in the actual ceremony. He had no intentions of being anywhere his father was. They hadn't spoken more than two words to each other at any time since Zak's funeral nearly two years ago. "Yes I do."

"Well Captain, I'd like to formally invite you to the ceremony and to offer you the opportunity to participate in a dedication to the _Galactica_ as well."

"Mr. ...Doral was it? You don't seem to understand, I'm a very busy person and I have a lot of duties to see to. I seriously doubt I'll be able to get away for the ceremony."

"Ah but Captain, I think you'll find that we've already cleared this with your CO. As a matter of fact he thinks it's an excellent idea to have you attend the ceremony. So if you'll be so kind as to give us your consent to send this small information packet to you it will outline the ceremony and your part in it." the small man smiled at Lee showing him his sharp pointy teeth and looking even more like a weasel.

"Fine, send it here. When do I have to be there?" the sigh should have been enough to get his displeasure across to the other man.

"Well the ceremony is on the third and then there is the dedication ceremony to make _Galactica_ into a working museum which we'd appreciate your support in and…"

"Fine, I'll be there," he stabbed at the disconnect button with more force than he really needed, just eager to be away from this nasty little man. Lee stalked across the small flat going back to his kitchen and resuming his chopping. How dare that man assume he'd want to be a part of his father's ceremony? Lee looked down and realized that he'd been chopping the lettuce so hard that he'd chipped the knife and carved a groove into his cutting board. Exasperated he threw the whole meal out and went to find a drink at the local bar.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch 15

Lee felt the turbulence as his Viper slipped into the upper reaches of Caprica's atmosphere. He still had a hard time believing that he'd been roped into this and he wanted desperately to find the weasel of a PR man and strangle him. He sighed as he slipped into the cool blackness of space and set his course for the _Galactica. _

When he finally arrived at the area of space where the _Galactica_ hung he looked the old ship over and marveled at how well it had held up through the years. _Galactica _was one of the few remaining Battlestars that had survived through the Cylon war. His father had proudly taken command of the old ship and Lee thought that the war torn ship and the crusty old man were a good match.

As he flew into the landing pattern of the ship he heard the smooth voice of the LSO in his headset. "Viper Four-five-zero/Galactica. Copy your acquisition lock. Stand-by landing clearance." Lee waited for the LSO to clear him and he continued to look over the ship. "Viper Four-five-zero/Galactica. Approach port landing bay, hands-on, speed one zero five, checkers red, call the ball."

Lee was surprised at the "hands-on" order and commented about it. Then he realized that of course his father, being as old fashioned as he was, would insist on that sort of procedure. Lee landed his Viper and was quickly assisted by several of the deckhands. When he reached the floor he was greeted by the Deck Chief who fawned over him and complimented his father incessantly. Lee quickly asked directions to the CAG and wandered off.

When he found the CAG he was in the pilots ready room and he looked up to see Lee wandering in. The other man then made a big show of presenting Lee to the other pilots who applauded him as if he was a star. After he took a seat the CAG surprised him by telling him that not only would he be in the fly-by but he'd be doing it in his father's old Viper Mk II. How could this day get any worse?

After the meeting he asked about Kara's whereabouts. She'd followed the Old Man to _Galactica_ after the funeral and had been here ever since. Even if the day ended up being a total disaster at least he could spend a bit of time with her. He wasn't surprised when he was told she was in the brig. When he finally found the tiny room he thrilled at seeing Kara and all of the fun times they'd had in the past came rushing back to him.

They chatted for a while then he left her to find out when the fly-by was supposed to happen, his thoughts only on getting this over with. Unfortunately he was snagged by the rodent like little PR man who insisted on shoving him together with his father for publicity shots. The tension between the two men was thick and oppressive but they made it through the ordeal and Lee left to go to the ceremony.

Once the fly-by was done Lee sat in the blackness of space listening to the broadcast of his father's speech. After a few choked words he realized that the older man was speaking to him in a way he wasn't sure he could deal with. Lee was happy to be able to be put on escort duty for one of the ships returning to Caprica so he wouldn't have to face his father again so soon.

They had made it most of the way back to Caprica when disaster struck and the most horrible thing imaginable happened. The Cylons attacked.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 16

Somehow after the chaos died down, Lee found himself floating in his Viper with no controls. He called for help but he was unsure of where it could possibly come from. The ship he'd been escorting somehow managed to maneuver around to pull him into it's cargo bay. When he got the news of the attack he didn't know what to make of it. Unfortunately he was also once more attacked by the weasel PR man who insisted that he take charge. All Lee could think about was what the implication of a Cylon attack meant to him and his family.

Things seemed to calm down a bit when he realized that the Secretary of Education was fully capable of handling the crisis at hand. Once they made it to the cockpit and verified that the worst had in fact happened Lee realized that he had to figure out a way to defend this ship. But first, apparently he needed to be used as a witness to the emergency swearing in of the new president. He stood beside her and wondered if someone so far down the chain in the government could indeed be capable of taking charge.

Then she did indeed take charge and she began ordering that the pilot search for other survivors. Lee agreed with her plan and continued to try to make sense of what had happened. He asked around searching for news of events and he found little. His mind just couldn't grasp it all and he decided that he needed to turn his mind to other things. When he finally got in touch with _Galactica_ and he heard his father's voice and the order to jump to meet them, he railed at the idea. He was in total agreement with the new President about finding as many survivors as they could.

His father and he argued about the decision and Lee finally took charge and cut his father off. Then the pilot advised them that they had just gotten another Cylon ID'd on the Dradis. Lee's mind raced for a solution to the problem and then he heard the worst news possible, they had nukes. He only had time for one crazy stunt and it probably wouldn't even work.

The rest of the day went by with an amazing speed and everyone was soon feeling the effects of the stress. Lee finally had a few moments to sit and take it all in and try to make sense of it all. He'd been hearing reports of the attack and at one point someone had said they had a list of the worst destruction. When he heard that Picon had been one of the first and hardest hit his mind simply froze. It couldn't be true. He checked and double checked the piece of paper in front of him and there it was. The base on Picon was utterly destroyed.

His chest became tight and he could hardly breathe at the thought. He could only hope that Lauren had somehow either not made it to the base yet or been elsewhere when it was hit. He managed to scan the rest of the report and look at the impossibly large losses. He laid his head back on the seat and prayed silently to whatever Gods could hear him that if they had to take Lauren from him that they care for her and bring them back together in a better place. Then he once more turned his attention to the matters at hand.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 17

After the events of the attack Lee found himself being torn between his duty to the fleet and his regard for the new President. Laura Roslin was a tough woman who deserved respect and Lee decided that she was definitely worth helping. However, he'd seen the rift between him and his father closing slowly and he didn't want to jeopardize that progress. He'd spent so much of his time being tossed around like a piece of paper in a windstorm he hardly had time to think about all that had happened.

Then he had a day to just sit and relax and it all came crashing down around him. He ran all of the events through his mind like a movie and tried to come to terms with it all. The Cylons following them, the destruction of the _Olympic Carrier_, the pilots that died, Kara being lost and then so miraculously found with a Cylon raider to boot.

None of it made any sense as he ran it all back through but he knew it was there, he just couldn't find the missing piece. He thought about how they all had reacted upon finding out the Cylons looked like them now and a black wave of fear poured through him.

Through all of the things that had happened he'd had two things he could count on, Kara and his dad. Kara and he had become closer than ever before. Even after she admitted that she'd passed Zak because of their relationship. He let it drop because he needed her, as a pilot and more so as a friend that actually understood him. Many times he found Kara just staring off into space, thinking about whatever it was she was pondering at that moment and he could always just sit with her and absorb her calm. No matter how crazy things got Kara always kept a level head which was rather insane he thought about it too much.

His father was the same way, a rock in the middle of a raging river, never moving just being. He never got angry, at least not that he showed to anyone but Lee knew better. He was always there to give a kind word or to push someone in just the right direction to get them to surpass his expectations. Lee had butted heads with his father for so many years it was a very pleasant surprise to find that they were now beginning to understand each other.

Then it all went south again when Kara disappeared with the Raider. He knew that Roslin had put her up to it and he could almost understand why she had done it but it caused a big rift once more, one that Lee couldn't repair. When the old man felt that Roslin had pushed to far and he ordered the Marines to board _Colonial One _Lee had to make a hard decision. He'd come to respect Laura Roslin in the months since they left the life they knew and he knew why she was doing what she'd done. That alone made him pull the gun on Tigh.

That one decision in that one split second changed it all. Tigh ordered him put under arrest and he was treated like any other criminal but damn it all, he believed in the President and the government. When he was brought back to the _Galactica_ in cuffs, nothing could have wounded him more than the look in his father's eyes. Lee felt like he'd just become five again and his father had yelled at him for doing something silly that he couldn't remember. For so very long both Lee and Zak had done everything in their power to earn their father's approval so when they messed up and he yelled, their world crumbled, just as it did now.

Lee watched as his father walked away from him and he felt almost as much pain in that moment as he did from the thought of what he'd lost, his mother, Zak, Caprica, and especially Lauren. Then it happened. Two shots rang out across the CIC and Lee watched the man he loved so much fall into a pool of blood.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 18

When the chaos in CIC had resolved and the Old Man was taken to sick bay, Colonel Tigh suddenly remembered Lee and his status as a prisoner. He ordered the Marines to remove him to the brig where he was roughly thrown into the cell next to President Roslin. Her concern for the situation was palpable and Lee realized that even after the events of the day Laura Roslin respected his father. She advised Lee to denounce her so he could free himself but he knew better. However, he could make a bargain with Colonel Tigh, and that's just what he did.

So when he was on duty he had respect and when he was off duty he was a prisoner but the fleet was being protected and he could keep up on the events so it worked. He wished desperately that he had Kara to talk to but she was gone on her crazy trip to Caprica for Laura. Funny how that worked, a few days before he'd always thought of her as The President or Madame President, now that they were being held in adjoining cells he thought of her as Laura.

They talked for hours at a time while he was in the cell and he came to respect her even more. She was a very smart woman, about very many things. So she stepped into the void that Kara left as his confidante.

One night Lee was sitting on his bunk thinking of better days and he pulled out the picture of Lauren that he still carried everywhere. He'd stared at the picture so long he'd memorized every single line, every shadow of it, but it always made him feel like a part of him wasn't completely dead. He ran events from the past in his head like a movie and it hurt, oh Gods did it hurt. He'd never again hear her laughter, see her smile, taste her lips. And it all came crashing down on him.

Laura Roslin had been sleeping but she was roused by the sound of Lee sobbing in the next cell. She tried to look over without alerting him to her presence but it didn't work and he tried vainly to wipe the tears from his eyes. Laura got up and walked to the wall of bars between them and held her hand through to him.

"Captain, is there anything…"

"No, I'm just…I guess it all hit me. Everything that's happened and all I've…we've lost."

"Yes Captain, we've all lost more than we can imagine. Tell me about her," her voice was soothing, like his mother's when he was still small.

"Ma'am? Who? Tell you about who?"

"The girl in the picture. She's obviously someone you love very much. So tell me about her. I want to know."

Lee looked into her face and found comfort, sympathy and best of all, a friend. "She was…well I was planning on asking her to marry me." He sobbed loudly and looked embarrassed about it. Laura smiled again and reached for the picture he held in his hand. He handed it to her with out any qualms.

"So what happened? Why didn't you ask her? Oh, she's very pretty, what's her name?" Laura stared deeply at the picture she held as if she could see into the woman, into her soul.

"Lauren, her name is Lauren. Well, I intended to ask her one night, back on Caprica but she'd just gotten word of being transferred. She was so upset, Gods but she was upset. We'd been living together for a while and I guess she felt like it was just too much. I guess it kind of didn't seem so important after finding out, and then she was gone."

"So what happened after that?" she intended to keep him talking about his pain because she knew from experience, talking with someone about what hurt made it hurt less, like the other person shared the burden of the pain with you.

"Well I tried for a while to get on with my life. Then the attack, and well you pretty much know the rest. I just wish that I knew. Not knowing what happened is the worst part, you know?"

"I do know. I wish I could tell you but…well at least you had some time with her and you got to have the pleasure of her. Some people never even get that much, so you should be happy." The smile on her lips was pained and Lee knew that there was so very much about this woman that he would never know. She handed him the picture back and turned for her bunk. "Good night Captain. I'm sure there is a better place and you'll find her again."

Lee looked from the picture to the amazing woman in the next cell and back. Something had changed between them that night and it felt like it was for the better. Lee just hoped he was right.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch 19

The plan seemed simple enough, convince Dr. Cottle that he should request a clearance and get the President to the ship without anyone seeing her. Yeah, it should work but better not to think too much about it. Laura was optimistic and Lee felt the infectious fervor she created. He did his part and when she entered the transport he knew that they'd be fine.

Laura's only restraint came when she exited the transport on _Cloud Nine_ and realized that Zarek was now their ally. She knew the reasons for it and she agreed that he was indeed their best option but she didn't have to like it and she made that painfully clear. The whole way over Lee was agonizing over his decision. If ever he'd done anything to disappoint his father, he'd just passed that by several times over. That pained him, but he'd talked so much with Laura over the past days that he came to believe in her and her ideals. Besides, what did he have to lose?

When they'd stopped running aboard the _Astral Queen_ he was faced with more difficult decisions. Lee didn't know about his father's recovery until much later and then Zarek came at him with is plan. He couldn't do it though and then Laura stepped up and said she was going to play the religion card and Lee looked her in the eyes and knew how deeply she believed.

Then they went to Kobol, what a crazy idea that was. Laura had convinced them all just by the sheer power of her own faith. Lee was even beginning to believe it, then when Kara showed up with that damned arrow he couldn't help but feel the fire as well.

Laura saw the exchange between Lt. Thrace and Lee and she felt her spirit soar. If there was a spark between those two then there had to be hope for the human race. She watched the two of them closely for the next few hours and she knew that there was more than just friendship between them. She knew all it would take was just a nudge in the right direction and the spark would blaze to life. She made a mental note to find the place that needed to be nudged and get that spark flared up.

When they reached Kobol everything seemed to fall into place. Lee watched as Laura listened to everything that the Cylon Sharon said and took it to heart. That pained him greatly but he trusted Laura and her judgment. They trekked for several days and then the rain started. When the priestess was killed it seemed to Lee that Laura lost a bit of what was guiding her but she picked up the fallen woman's book and poured over it like it was her only link to life. When Laura wasn't reading the book she was talking about it to whomever would listen.

Then the unexpected happened and Lee looked up and saw his father. Suddenly everything was all right again as his father came forward and wrapped him in a hug. Lee had had his faith shaken to the core by all of the events in the past few months and here was yet another test. Laura, whom he trusted beyond what was reasonable told him that faith would guide him. And his father whom he loved beyond all reason was telling him that fact was the only path. He was conflicted more than ever and all the influences wanted to do was meet in the middle and find a common path. Lee pondered this turn of events for a long time and then he knew what he had to do.

He wandered across the camp to the tent that Laura had set up, far away from the others but close to the fire so she had light to read. Read the book that Elosha had held for so long. The prophecies, all of the faith that people had in one small book. He stared down at her in the flickering light from the fire. "Would you mind if I sat for a bit?"

"Of course not! Please, let me get a blanket for you." She reached for her spare blanket folded beside her and placed it neatly where he could sit. "So what's on your mind Captain?"

"Ma'am, I need to know something. I know that you've got this thing figured out and you've seen the path we need to follow but I'm still lost. You see, I'm not a very religious person. You tend to not be able to be that way when you're basically a hired killer. I know that you are and I want your opinion."

She could see the lines on his face, cutting into him and weathering him before his time. "What could you possibly need my opinion for?"

"Well you've studied those prophecies and you know the faith and I want to know… I want to know why."

"Why what? Why I'm studying them so intently?"

His laugh was quick but genuine. "No. I want to know why the Gods are doing this to us. Why make us suffer so much? Why kill so many people and why are we the ones left? I thought we were the chosen of the Gods, humans you know, so how can faith, how can the Gods justify all that we've lost?"

"That's a very hard question to answer Captain. The only answer I can provide you is that we are being tested."

"Well what kind of cruel test is this? How can we possibly be expected to pass it when we have to lose so very much?" The hurt in his eyes made her heart ache but she knew what he wanted and she couldn't give it to him. She could only try to ease his pain enough that he could carry on.

"Captain, the Gods don't give their gifts lightly. The prophecies tell us that they do love us but they make us stronger by testing us. If we pass the tests then we are rewarded."

"Well what's the reward? Is it truly worth all of this pain?"

"Oh Captain! You have no idea. The Gods test us to weed out the people with no faith. They know that the truly faithful, those who deserve the rewards are strong. They know they can survive the tests and more. Can you understand that?" She smiled when he nodded in the dim light of the fire. "Then you must know in your heart that when you are proven to have kept your faith with the Gods and you've done what they've asked, you will be rewarded with a prize so glorious you can't imagine."

"So that's what this is all about? The Gods are testing us? They're testing the faithful?"

"Yes they are. And I truly believe that we, as the wonderful group that we are, we humans, we can pass this test and when we are rewarded we will know no greater happiness."

Lee studied her face in the fire and the glint in her eye was almost like a star shining in a sea of black. He felt deep down that she was correct and he nodded his head and rose from the blanket. "Thank you ma'am." He turned and began to walk across the camp to his own bed roll.

"Captain," she said in a soft voice. "You know she'd want you to try don't you? Lauren, she'd tell you to try. Not to give up."

Lee said nothing, he just reached for the pocket her picture was in, as if to reassure himself he still had that tenuous connection and he nodded in the dark.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 20

The discovery of the Tomb of Athena sent a jolt of fire through the group and they all felt a renewed sense of purpose. Lee saw the justification and utter thankfulness wash over Laura's face as they opened the door. He couldn't help feeling glad that she was in fact right about it all.

The electricity that had poured through them on Kobol, stayed with them all the way back to the fleet and Lee was relieved when the Old Man reinstated Laura as President. Soon everyone had caught the spark and a new life breathed through every dark corner of every ship. People all over the fleet had a new sense of faith that Lee found invigorating.

He also saw the change affect Kara but there was something else lying just under the surface of her. He asked her about it several times and he got replies that told him nothing. Later on he found out that she had found survivors on Caprica and Helo told him that apparently she'd become rather close with one of them. Lee wasn't sure if that was the root of her sadness but it seemed like a good place to start digging. He managed to turn conversations to that direction several times but she was short with him and ended the talks immediately. He finally dropped the whole thing, knowing that when she was ready to talk about it all she'd come to him.

Soon there was another slow fire burning through the _Galactica_, this time in the form of the ship Chief Tyrol was building. How he'd come up with the crazy idea for it no one knew but the sense of purpose it gave to the crew was amazing. Lee thought the idea was doomed to fail at the start of it but slowly, as more and more people lent their hands to the project he came around. What clinched it was when he was walking through the flight deck one morning, he looked up to see hid father standing there, watching the activity. The look on the Old Man's face said it all, he believed. After that Lee found more and more excuses to detour to where the ship was and every time he saw his dad watching the efforts he felt more sure of the success of it.

When Kara volunteered to test fly the ship Lee thought it was crazy but he knew, if anyone could make the bird sing it was Kara Thrace. Then he found out that Colonel Tigh was the one that had traded for the engines and that was the utter end of doubt for everyone involved. Then the logic bomb hit.

They'd known they had a problem when systems started malfunctioning. When the oxygen had been pumped out of the firing range while Lee, Kara and Costanza were in it, they'd realized there was something seriously wrong and they raced to try to fix it. Then the Cylons arrived and the situation came to a head. Lee and the rest of the pilots raced to meet the Cylons and they were shocked at the numbers of them. If something didn't happen fast, the whole fleet would be lost.

Then Cylon Sharon did whatever she did and Lee gaped in awe as the Cylons began to fall apart, floating in every direction as if they had absolutely no control. When the order came down to destroy them Lee's heart leapt to his throat. Finally he had a chance to pay them back for all of the pain he'd endured. His guns ripped through the Cylon raiders and he imagined that each bullet carried a name. One for his mother, one for her fiancée, one for his neighbor, one for his CO at the base, one for the nice supply clerk that always said hi to him. Then he heard himself screaming, a primal sound that tore through him and took all of his pain with it as he blasted ship after ship in revenge for the Cylons taking his love from him.

When they finished off the last of the Cylon fleet Lee felt as if he'd come to terms with his loss and he almost felt as if he could go on again. Maybe that had been his reward, his payback from the Gods. Maybe the Gods finally felt that he'd suffered enough and that he'd earned a chance to return the pain to the Cylons. Whatever the case, he definitely felt better and he was almost looking forward to the test flight of the stealth ship they'd nicknamed the Blackbird.

When Kara launched it he was almost scared but he knew she'd get control and handle the ship the way it was meant to be handled. Then when she disappeared from sight his heart fell and all time stopped. He couldn't lose her, not Kara, he'd lost so much already he needed one solid thing to hold onto and she was it. Then she reappeared and as mad as he was, he couldn't help laugh at his foolishness. Things were looking up after all.


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21

Lee and Kat were flying the CAP on the far side of the fleet when the call came over the wireless. A large Dradis contact dead ahead of the fleet. Contact was unidentified and _Galactica_ CIC had guessed it was a Cylon basestar. Lee and Kat broke off and streaked across the blackness of space towards the blip. They monitored the frantic calls flying back and forth across CIC while they flew and when Dee confirmed the identity as definitely being the _Pegasus_, Lee looked over at Kat's Viper and saw her rejoicing and pumping the air with her fist.

He didn't feel quite as much joy until he actually saw the ship ahead of him. Her own Vipers buzzing around her like a swarm of bees around a hive. As he passed by the big Battlestar he noted the heavy damage done to her and thought back to when he'd thought the same of _Galactica_, so very long ago at her decommissioning ceremony. As he flew past her bulk he wondered if maybe there wasn't some hope for the human race after all. If this ship could survive with out any back up, alone, then why couldn't more ships be about too? He shouldn't get his hopes up though, and he turned his ship back to _Galactica_ when he was recalled.

They gathered in the flight deck, waiting for the Raptor from the _Pegasus_ to arrive. Lee looked around at the people milling in the deck and realized that practically the whole ship had come to see the visitors. He saw his father and the President side by side waiting patiently amid the deck crew. There was Dr. Baltar, sitting on a Raptor's wing to get a better look. He spun his head around looking for Kara in the crowd. Just like her to be late. The he saw her blonde hair bobbing through the crowd as she pushed her way forward arriving at his side just as the Raptor was pulled up in front of them.

The door slid open and Lee realized that everyone on the deck was holding their breath, praying that this was not some elaborate Cylon hoax. When the people aboard began disembarking Lee was surprised to see heavily armed Marines first, then a man in a flight suit who went towards the other side of the deck. Next came another man in a flight suit, this time with a Viper patch on his arm. He stopped right in front of Lee and Kara and Lee noticed Kara looking him up and down.

Finally a heavyset Colonel disembarked and everyone waited for Admiral Cain. Lee frantically tried to remember everything he knew about the woman and came up with little. He knew she was a fast moving go-getter who'd risen through the ranks with a ruthless speed. Other than that little amount he could recall nothing. When she stepped from the Raptor she looked like a tyrant surveying her staff. Lee felt a strange knot grow in his stomach and it continued to swell as she greeted his father and the President.

"On behalf of the officers and the crew of the _Pegasus_ it's a pleasure to see all of you. Welcome back to the Colonial fleet."

The phrasing of that just wasn't right to Lee and he grimaced, apparently quite noticeably because Kara elbowed him sharply. Then the cheering began and everyone surged forward to meet the party. Kara headed towards the man with the Viper patch and he looked at her own wings and introduced himself as Taylor, in a voice that was cold and unfeeling. They mingled for a bit and Lee suddenly pulled Kara aside to talk with her. He'd been feeling more and more apprehensive about the turn of events and the knot of worry in his stomach had grown immensely. He passed his feelings along to Kara and they both agreed to play their cards close to the chest for the time being.


	22. Chapter 22

Ch 22

Kara had wandered off to a quiet corner of the flight deck and Lee followed her, trading their opinions on the people from the _Pegasus_ and what they were all about.

"Where under the Gods do you think they've been Lee?"

"I haven't got a clue but just think about this, if they made it out of the attack all right what about others? You know there are people still on Caprica, how about the other colonies too?"

"Lee I'm not sure I'm following…oh, I see." She could tell by the pained look of longing in his eyes exactly who he had in mind. Kara didn't want to get his hopes up only to have him crushed again at a later point so she didn't try to bolster him. "Lee if she was at the base, which she should have been, well…it just doesn't look very good. You read the reports, Picon got hit and hard. No one on Caprica had heard anything from other survivors but that's most likely because there weren't any."

She could see his soul die just a little more when she said it but it was better than lying to him. There'd been more than enough lying between them. Kara dropped the subject and tugged at his sleeve to follow her as she saw Racetrack walking across the deck with one of the Viper pilots from _Pegasus_. The two were acting like old friends and then Kara's attention was drawn to his Viper and the line of marks under the cockpit. She edged closer to his ship to see what they were and was shocked to find small pictures that looked like Cylon raiders.

"Is this a scorecard? You guys put scorecards on the side of your ships?" The condescension in her voice was obvious.

Racetrack reminded Kara that she too kept score, just not painted on her ship. Kara still couldn't fathom it and she turned to the other pilot with a sneer, "Do you have caps and t-shirts too?" This made everyone, even the _Pegasus_ pilot, laugh until the stern looking man they'd met earlier walked up behind them.

"Where's the _Galactica_ CAG?" he snapped.

Lee spoke up and the other man sneered at him and turned away from the others. He made a stiff lipped comment about how keeping track of kills boosted morale and how it would soon be put into effect over here as well now that Admiral Cain was the commanding officer.

That really needled Lee and he spat out his opinion of the idea, "The name of my Commander is Adama, which should be pretty easy to remember, because it's my name."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind daddy's boy. Let's see your ordnance lists."

Lee decided right then and there that he was not going to let this man get to him. They were both Captains so there was no rank to pull. Lee was a CAG in his own right and he deserved just as much respect as this other man did. He pivoted sharply and faced the end of the deck where his meager office was, "this way."

Once Taylor had looked at the requested paperwork and found it to be in suitable order he changed the subject to the way that Lee had been running the CAP and how the pilots reacted to him. They talked shop for a few minutes and Lee felt a bit more comfortable but he still didn't trust Taylor.

"You really should come over and see how a tight ship is run. My 2CAG and I have worked our pilots into a finely tuned machine."

"Pardon me but what the frak is a 2CAG?"

"Well we have enough pilots to have two separate shifts. It works well so that the men are rested and there is always adequate coverage for the ship, plus we can always muster the other shift if need be. So there came a need to have another officer in charge. Admiral Cain suggested having a commander equal in power or rank to me but subordinate so that there would be no question of who was the main CAG. So I answer to Admiral Cain and my 2CAG answers to me but we work as a team and it does work. I wasn't sure she could hack it at first but she's shaped up nicely in the past few months."

"Huh, sounds like a pretty good system you've got." Lee looked almost wistful at the idea of having a shift off and not having to drop his life at a moment's notice to race for his ship.

"So why don't you and your second in command come over to _Pegasus_ later and we can talk about our working order over there, maybe give you two a few pointers to make this old girl run smoother."

Lee stiffened at the smarmy attitude Taylor had, but he was interested in the goings on at the other ship and he figured the best way to find out why he felt so edgy around them was to confront them. "Sure sounds good. Let me collect Lt. Thrace and we'll come over in say, an hour?"

"Good, I'll just be going off shift then and I'll have more time to talk with you, show you the ropes. I'll leave clearance with the LSO for you two and we'll see you then," Taylor walked towards the door of the small office and back out to the deck as if he couldn't wait to get away from Lee which did nothing to make him more likeable.


	23. Chapter 23

Ch 23

Lee wandered around the flight deck for a few minutes after the _Pegasus_ crew left and put his pilots on a schedule that would run with out him or Kara. Then he went in search of her. He found her standing in the hallway that had become a shrine to those lost, her face lit by the candles around her. They'd all been trying to compile lists of survivors in the fleet and several tearful reunions had indeed happened but most had been resigned to the fact that their loved ones were now in a better place.

He'd never seen Kara mourn for any of her family but he knew she really did care, even after the pain they'd caused her. He stepped up behind her softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, grief in her eyes but he could tell she was trying to hide it.

"I just thought I'd come look at them all, try to remind myself why we need to keep fighting. I just wish I could do more."

Lee knew that she meant she wished she could return to Caprica for the survivors and he nodded to tell her he understood. "Kara, we've been 'cordially' invited to the _Pegasus_ to see how, and I quote, 'a real ship is run'. I thought it sounded like a pretty good chance to see what exactly is going on over there. Interested?"

Her snort of derision told him all he needed to know but she grinned, "You mean we get to walk in the enemy camp and see where their weak spots are? You bet I'm in!"

They hurried along to their lockers to retrieve their flight gear and then to their Vipers. As they crossed the flight deck they noticed a strange little man in a flight suit who appeared to be a deckhand. Wondering who he was they walked up as he introduced himself as the deck chief of the _Pegasus_. Satisfied that he was who he said, they went on their way.

When they approached the _Pegasus_ they were directed by the LSO to land on the port side deck and that Captain Taylor would be waiting for them there. Lee noted when they were wheeled into the holding area that the deckhands were numerous and quite efficient. Soon he was on the deck, watching Kara stride toward him and wondering where Taylor was. They stood there for a few minutes looking lost as no one was telling them where to go but they took the time to look around and see if they could learn anything. Finally, Taylor came jogging over to them, looking embarrassed, "I'm sorry I wasn't here, I had a problem to resolve. If you'll excuse me for just a moment?" He didn't wait for their response and he approached a worried looking pilot and rumbled loudly at the cowed man.

Lee edged a bit closer to the pair to see if he could hear the exchange but all he got was a few words that didn't make any sense. He turned to Kara who had also moved over and she shook her head to tell him that she didn't hear anything either. She tipped up on her toes and whispered in Lee's ear, "What a sanctimonious asshole!" The look on her face said that she was deeply interested in the mystery of the crew of the _Pegasus_ and Lee knew he could count on her to find out as much as she could in no time at all.

Taylor came back over and apologized once more for the delay. "So I've got a conference room waiting for us so we can have some quiet. If you'll follow me please." He started back across the deck in a precise stride that looked like it was well rehearsed. Turning to one of the pilots they passed he shouted, "Thumper, get Demon on the horn and have her meet us in Con 2-B please."

As they walked down the hallway Kara leaned over to whisper to Lee, "Stinger, Thumper, Whiplash, Hammer, Twister and now Demon? Could they be more obnoxious? Did they all pick callsigns that made them sound as violent as possible? Sounds to me like they are really overcompensating."

Lee couldn't help but laugh at that but he reminded Kara, "Well the 2CAG is a woman so it can't be all of them. Um, can it?"

"Lee…I'm scared!" she joked in a wavering voice. Taylor turned and shot them a malicious look at their whispering so they both straightened up and tried to look interested in the hallway.

Lee noticed most, if not all, of the people that they passed saluted crisply and he even saw a group of enlisted men salute other enlisted men. Apparently the Admiral was big on the ideals of rank and that made Lee nervous. He'd become more action oriented since coming to _Galactica_. His father was a strict man but he also knew that a comfortable crew was a good crew and he'd get more out of them. The rules were still there but not as strictly adhered to.

When they'd turned down several corridors and looped their way through the ship they finally came to the room Taylor had reserved. Upon entering it Kara was awed at the opulence of it. The carpeting in it was a rich red and the large wooden table that dominated the center of the room looked like it was actually rare Tauron teak wood. She held back an appreciative whistle and simply drank in the richness of it all. Taylor had walked to the far side of the table and indicated that Lee and Kara should sit facing him so their backs were to the door.

They sat and Taylor offered them coffee or water from the tray in the center of the table. Both politely declined, wanting to find the information they were here for and leave as quickly as they could. When the door hissed open they didn't see the 2CAG come in but she came in talking, "Sorry about that Cole, but I was trying to straighten out Barrel's records and I…" She'd reached the edge of the table and when Lee and Kara stood she looked up at them and her jaw dropped. "L…Lee?"


	24. Chapter 24

Ch 24

The woman before him had to be an illusion. He blinked several times to dispel it but there she was, "Lauren? Oh, Gods…I…" He started for her, raising his arms to wrap her in a hug but she shook her head sharply and glared at him, holding out her hand to shake his. She grabbed his hand and shook it roughly, rolling her eyes over her shoulder at Taylor. Lee understood her meaning and recovered quickly, "It's so good to see you alive and well."

Lauren looked up at him with relief in her eyes and then turned to the second new person in the room, "Kara! I'm so glad to see you still around, we can use all the hotshot pilots we can get these days." Her hand reached out to grab Kara's as well and she once more rolled her eyes over at Taylor, to let Kara know not to say anything either. Kara also got it and nodded, "Lauren, glad to see you're still with us."

"Please, have a seat you two. Can we offer you any coffee or anything?" she said as she walked over to the opposite side of the table and sat next to Taylor as they declined the beverages. She smiled weakly at Taylor and he eyed her suspiciously.

"I take it you know each other?"

"Yes, Lieu…er, Captain Adama and I were in a course together a few years ago. Congratulations on the promotion Captain, it's very well deserved. And Lieutenant Thrace and I were stationed on Saggitaron together for a time." her smile never made it to her eyes but the gleam in her eye told another story to the two across the table.

"I see you've received a promotion as well Captain Baker," Lee grinned. "Congratulations to you as well. It's long overdue."

"Captain Baker certainly proved herself worthy of the rank back during the attack. She started out kind of rough but I think she's become an officer that the Admiral can be proud of." The way Taylor gushed about Lauren, Kara wondered exactly what was going on but she held her tongue, trusting her friend to enlighten her.

They spent the next hour pouring over manuals that had been written and rewritten during the six months that _Pegasus_ had been on it's own. Taylor seemed to treat the manuals as if they were scripture and Lauren seemed bored by it all. Lee's heart was in his throat the whole time but he knew that Lauren wouldn't act like she had unless she had a damn good reason so he kept quiet. Kara had looked over at Lauren several times during the hour and she had caught Lauren's eyes rolling at Taylor and his pompous attitude a few times and had to stifle laughter. Lauren had obviously perfected that maneuver in the past few months. Judging by that alone, Kara knew that Lauren was fine but that she couldn't talk in Taylor's presence.

Noting that the _Galactica's_ representatives were quite bored listening to Taylor speak, Lauren brought up the subject of the stealth ship the _Galactica's _crew had built. Having been on one of the fighter test teams she was fascinated with their ideas and her excitement was evident. Suddenly she had an idea and she sat up straighter, "Cole, why don't we take them down to the deck and show them how we work? I'm sure they could pick up a few pointers to introduce to their own crew. I can't imagine they are quite as up to spec as we are over here and we really should get them dialed into the way things work."

Kara almost choked on that, but she believed that Lauren had her reasons for the condescending attitude.

"You're right. I'm sure that the crew of a museum piece would enjoy seeing a modern fighter at her best. Shall we?" Taylor rose from the table and motioned them towards the door.

Lauren made a show of piling up the paperwork she'd spread out all over the table and Lee knew she was stalling so he motioned for Kara to step up and go with Taylor. She nodded imperceptibly and deftly stepped in front of Lee, positioning herself by Taylor and acting like she was interested in him. When Lauren rounded the table, Lee looked at her imploringly and she shook her head sharply mouthing 'later' to him and walking out into the hallway.

They followed behind Taylor and Kara through the long hallways and Lee noted that not only were _Pegasus'_ halls brighter but they were also free of clutter. _Galactica_, being a much smaller ship was very short on space so every inch of free room was utilized on her, including the hallways. Lee was almost caught up in scoping out the ship when he felt Lauren tug on his sleeve. He didn't pay attention to it until she tugged on it again. When he looked at her she made a rolling motion with her eyes but obviously still didn't think she could talk. Finally, she pulled him backwards and he got the idea, let the others go ahead.

When they had dropped back behind Taylor and Kara sufficiently, Lauren ducked down a side hallway, dragging Lee with her. He started to ask her what was going on but she put a finger up to her lips to quiet him. He relented and followed her rapidly down several more hallways until they came to an unmarked door. Lauren punched a code into the keypad and looked up and down the hallway to see if they were being watched. Once the door slid open she pushed Lee into the hatch and turned to key more numbers on the inner keypad. Lee had enough time to note that the room was empty.

Lauren turned back to him, "Lee…Oh Gods I…" He stopped her words by crushing her lips with his and she melted into his warm embrace. He held her face in his hands and pulled her deeper into a kiss which she returned with as much passion as she received. He felt moisture on his finger and realized that she was crying so he pulled back and looked at her.

"Lee I can't believe you're here. I can't believe any of this. I'd given up hope of ever being able…" her voice cracked as she choked on a sob.

"Shhhhh, Lauren, I'm here now. It's all right I'm here," He pulled her into a soft hug and he felt the heartache of the past few months, of not knowing, leave him with a rush.

Lauren pushed him back away and began wiping the tears from her eyes, "We can't stay here long. Lee you have to promise me that no matter what I say or do you'll still believe that I am me and I haven't changed."

"Lauren, I don't understand. Tell me what's happened. What is going on around here?"

"Lee, I can't talk, not here. I'll have to find a way to get over to _Galactica_ but promise me please. Know in your heart who I am even if I say things you don't understand please!"

Her words shook him but he felt the passion in her and he nodded in assent. "Good, now we have to get back to them before he sends people out looking for us. Remember, I'll explain it all to you when I can but trust me for now okay?" She'd already keyed the code in the door again and it was sliding open as Lee nodded at her. Lauren smiled at him and looked up and down the hall before darting back out and relocking the hatch. Then she quickly lead him down a few more hallways to the flight deck. Stopping him at the hatch for the deck she looked over at him and mouthed "I love you," then walked through the door.

When they found Taylor and Kara on the crowded deck, Taylor looking wildly around for his missing officer and Kara looking thoroughly disgusted with the man she was next to, Lee watched as Lauren suddenly morphed back into the hard edged person who'd been in the conference room earlier. When Taylor spotted them he stormed over, glaring daggers at Lauren and he pulled her by the sleeve back behind a Viper nearby. Lee went to Kara who immediately asked if Lauren had explained anything. He told her no but that she would when they were alone. Kara was just about to voice her hatred of the pompous Captain when he returned to them and Lauren wandered up sheepishly.

"Captain, Lieutenant, I'm glad we had a chance to see each other and I'm sure we'll have no problems working together as a cohesive team. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a shift to run." She saluted them and walked quickly off the deck.

Having no idea what Lauren had said to Taylor, Lee looked to the other man nervously. "Well Captain, I hear my 2CAG took you on an impromptu tour of the ship. What did you think of her?"

Lee desperately hoped that Taylor meant the ship when he said 'her', "Yes, it's been some time since I've head the pleasure of visiting a Mercury-Class Battlestar. I'd forgotten all of the modern amenities they carry. She's a beautiful ship."

Taylor ate up the praise and beamed at them. "I expect after being trapped on a museum piece for so long that you'd be ecstatic about finally getting back to a modern ship."

Kara began to get ruffled and Lee knew she couldn't take much more of this without starting trouble so he decided it was best to get away from the man. "Certainly. Now I think it's about time for Lt. Thrace and myself to get back to _Galactica_. We've got a lot to talk about and I'm sure our pilots will be eager to begin working with yours. Thank you for your time Captain." Lee saluted him and waited to be dismissed. He and Kara couldn't get into their Vipers fast enough.


	25. Chapter 25

Ch 25

When they returned to the _Galactica_ Kara assaulted Lee with questions, "What the frak was going on over there? Why is Lauren acting like she barely knows us and what is up with that frakking _asshole_? Lee, so help me, if you ever put me in a room with that man again, I'm going to kill him!"

Lee had to drag Kara away from the flight deck because the deck hands were starting to take note of the commotion and there may be crew from the _Pegasus_ around. When they closed themselves in the ready room he tried to calm her down but he knew that when Kara was this worked up it was easier to just let her blow it off. Once she'd stormed around the room several times and growled at him more than once she was calm and taking deep breaths.

"Are you done now?" he teased and she glared at him. "Fine then, I don't know what is going on over there but we really need to find out, something is seriously wrong. Lauren couldn't tell me anything, she said it wasn't safe for her to talk over there. She did say that she'd find a way to get over here and explain everything to us."

"I've never seen her act like that and, well, something is way wrong on that ship. If it's making Lauren act like that then we've got to get her out of there somehow. We should tell the Old Man about it."

"Not yet. I'm sure there's some reason for it but I want to give Lauren a chance to explain before we go dragging my dad into the mix. Remember, Cain out ranks him so she's in charge. If Cain is the cause of all this we may not be able to do anything. Let's just play it by ear for now and see what Lauren can tell us okay?"

Kara agreed and said a few more choice words about Taylor and his pompous attitude which made Lee laugh, then Kara left to fly her patrol.

Lee spoke with his father later that night and the Commander noticed a significant change in his son. When he asked Lee about it all he was told was that Lee had found an old friend alive and well on the _Pegasus_. After talking about business for a long time the Commander once again asked his son about his ebullient mood and once more he was told it was just an old friend that had turned up. Knowing his son better than that, the Commander imagined it was more than _just_ a friend but was happy for Lee no matter what.

The next day Lee made rounds on the _Galactica_, stopping first in with the LSO to leave orders to allow Captain Baker permission to dock at any time and a strongly worded request that he be notified immediately when she landed. Chief Tyrol was next and the same request for notification was relayed. Chief Tyrol thought about the request for a moment after the Captain left and made a mental note to also be around when this Captain Baker showed up as it was highly likely that that was the reason for the younger Adama's bouncy mood.

Several other people noticed the change in Lee and commented on his unusual smile. For a while he told people it was because they finally had another ship to protect the fleet.

Lee listed to all of the conversations around him about the crew of the _Pegasus_ that had come to visit. Apparently he was not the only person with an uneasy feeling about them so he made a point to ask Kara to listen in as well. Neither of them heard anything specifically damning but there was a rumor floating around that _Pegasus_ had once had her own civilian fleet. No one could confirm or deny this but it did intrigue them.

Another rumor that they had heard was that the heavyset Colonel that had arrived on the _Galactica_ with the Admiral was not the original XO of the ship. No one could say what had happened to the old XO but the guesses were wild as they flew about. When Lee finally did receive conformation of the story from his father he was shocked at the idea of the Admiral shooting someone on the CIC deck but after some of the rumors he'd heard he didn't entirely count it out.

Lee began growing impatient for Lauren's arrival after a few days, and by the fourth day without seeing her he'd began finding reasons to be in the flight deck more often just in case she showed up. He was even excusing himself from meetings early so he wouldn't miss her but she still hadn't come to the _Galactica_ and Lee was starting to worry.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch 26

On the fifth day after their visit to the _Pegasus_, Lee was in a meeting with the President, his father and Colonel Tigh. The phone had begun ringing incessantly as soon as they had closed the door so Billy, the President's aide, had stationed himself next to it and he was fielding the calls. The phone rang once more and Lee heard Billy's voice behind him asking just how urgent it was, they all paused as Billy's voice rose a few decibels as he tried to end the call but the person on the other end was having none of it.

"Billy, if it's that important let the call through. We could probably use a short break anyway," the President said kindly. She rose from the table and began to walk to the phone to answer it when Billy shook his head and motioned towards Lee with the receiver.

Lee sheepishly took the phone and announced himself, "Captain Adama." He listened for a moment, a wide grin splitting his face and he followed up with , "I understand, thank you!" When he had handed the phone back to Billy he looked over at his father as if to question the length of the meeting.

"Well let's get on with this shall we?" The Commander rumbled. When he noticed his son look longingly at the door he pointed to the chair next to him that Lee had been occupying and Lee trudged back to it.

Fifteen minutes later he couldn't help but notice that Lee was nervously fidgeting in his seat, his knee bouncing wildly as he tapped his foot. "Captain, is there someplace that you need to be?"

Lee couldn't help but look unhappy as his father scolded him but he tried desperately to say with out speaking that yes, he really did need to be somewhere else. Finally the Old Man saw the wicked gleam in his son's eye and realized that the situation was that a certain 'old friend' from the _Pegasus_ had come to visit. "Well then, I think we can finish this up later. I'd like to take a rest and I'm sure the President is ready for some lunch by now. Let's continue this at a later point shall we?"

When everyone had agreed Lee tried to make a discrete exit but failed miserably and everyone watched him bolt out the door and down the hallway. "What was that all about?" The President asked.

"Oh, he found an old friend on the _Pegasus_ and I think she just came to call. Madame President if you'd join me for lunch?" As they walked for the hatch they both heard Colonel Tigh say, "She?"

Lee raced through the halls, dodging people and crates. He'd told Lauren he'd meet her on the deck but he hadn't been able to get out of the meeting so he was afraid she'd been standing there alone. As he came barreling around the corner into the flight deck he almost ran full on into Cally. She blushed as she tried to step out of his way but they ended up tangled with each other, both of them teetering for balance. When Lee had righted them both he apologized and asked Cally if she'd be so kind as to go find Starbuck for him and ask her to come down to the flight deck. Cally of course agreed and headed into the deeper part of the ship looking for her.

Lee straightened himself out and walked in a dignified manner into the flight deck, scanning the room for Lauren. He finally found her standing next to her Viper with Racetrack. The two women looked as if they were deep in conversation and Lee thanked the Gods she hadn't just been left there alone. As he walked up Lauren turned to him and smiled.

"Well hello Captain, I was just telling Lt. Edmondson about how we rotate shifts on _Pegasus_."

"Can't we do something like that over here too Cap'n? Please?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "Well Racetrack, you have to remember they have a few more pilots than we do but we'll see if we can start getting some downtime now that we have a backup. I know I could use some for sure," his grin was genuine and he shot a wink at Lauren.

They were still standing there chatting when Kara wandered over. She decided not to butt into the conversation so she roamed near the Viper. She had just noticed the kill markers under Lauren's wing and she was laughing in her loud bray. "You can't be serious Lauren. You guys actually keep track of how many kills you have? Do you actually get off on this?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and the sarcasm was dripping in her voice, "Yes Kara, they do actually get off on that crap."

With that one statement Kara visibly relaxed because she knew that she was indeed dealing with the Lauren she'd known for so long. Their laughter bubbled up and caught them all up. When it had died down, Kara leaned over farther to look at the marks and count them.

"Okay Lauren, you're a better shot than that so what's up with so few? I know for a fact you're better than that."

"Yeah, that other guy that was over here and he had like fifty. He didn't seem to sharp either," piped Racetrack.

"Well that's mainly because Captain Baker's are in tens." They all turned to look at the man who'd spoke. They found Chief Laird from the _Pegasus_ who'd obviously seen his 2CAG on deck and come to investigate. "I got so tired of repainting her ship every other day I thought I'd save myself some work." His shy grin and fawning look at Lauren made Lee slightly uncomfortable.

Kara's whistle broke the silence of the group. "Wow, that's like 150 kills. How'd you get so good?"

"What can I say? I get the busy shifts?" Her grin was more embarrassed than proud.

Lee jumped in to rescue her and reminded them that the _Pegasus_ had been actively seeking the Cylons and attacking them while they had been running and only fighting when they got caught.

Lauren felt a need to change the topic so she asked, "So what about this stealth fighter of yours? I'm dying to see her."

Kara ran interference and pointedly asked Racetrack if she had seen Helo around. Lee took the opportunity to take Lauren's elbow and guide her across the deck to where the sleek black ship sat. He wasn't willing to take the chance of speaking freely with her here on the deck in case there were other members of the _Pegasus_ about.

When they reached the ship, Lauren was ebullient about the specs of the ship and she wanted to know many of the details in how the ship had been constructed. As they walked around the wing Lee noticed that Laird had followed them across the deck and was listening in to their discussion. He began putting in a few comments once he was noticed. Lee wanted desperately to get Lauren off somewhere where they could talk in private and when Kara wandered back over he found the perfect opening.

"Kara is that room ready for us?" He glared at her and hoped that she'd get the hint.

A sudden light went on behind her eyes and she nodded, "Yes sir! If you two would like to head over now we can get started with our meeting." They wandered off leaving Laird behind.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch 27

They walked down the hallways talking business in case anyone happened to be listening. Kara would flit ahead and look into rooms that could be used for talking in private and apparently all of them were occupied because she was getting more and more annoyed. Finally, two decks and three hallways later they found an empty storage room that wasn't used very often and they locked the door behind them. Kara began pacing the floor as Lee engulfed Lauren in a long awaited hug.

"Okay you two, there's time for that later. Right now I really want some answers."

"I can tell. Impatient much Kara?" Lauren laughed as she pulled away from Lee and sat on a box. "Well where should I start?"

"Start at the easy stuff? Maybe you can explain how you ended up on the _Pegasus _when I thought you were on Picon," Lee sat next to her and she leaned into his shoulder, resting her head on it.

"Well that's pretty easy, good idea. Okay, so I left Caprica on schedule, reported to Colonel Tinasso on Picon and was put to work immediately. Seems the Colonel had specifically asked for real hard workers cause he was very shorthanded. So that's why I didn't call you from there, I never had a chance. I was working 16 hours shifts and trying desperately to keep up."

Kara motioned anxiously for Lauren to hurry up the narrative but she didn't push it to hard because she knew what Lee had gone through in the past months. Lauren seemed to pause long enough to collect the right facts and she moved on.

"Well, 8 days into the suicide shifts, Tinasso gets an urgent request from Admiral Gataki over at Scorpion. Scorpion had just lost half of their staff to the strikes and the _Pegasus_ was due in for a three month overhaul. Since Scorpion had the government contract for the fleet they absolutely had to get _Pegasus_ done on time. So Gataki called me up cause he knew I could get the job done. Tinasso about threw a fit but I still owed Gataki because he was the one that allowed me to transfer back to Caprica." She gave Lee a pointed look at the memory of showing up on his doorstep.

"So you got transferred right after your transfer? That's twice now! You are the luckiest person alive when it comes to transfers ya know?" Kara said as she once again started pacing. Lauren and Lee both thought about the circumstances of Lauren's past transfers and they both nodded solemnly.

"Well so I was working on _Pegasus_, bunking on the station and working harder than I had for Tinasso while we waited for the strike to break. Well I was asleep in my rack when the attack started. In all the chaos and panic I guess I figured that being on a fully armed Battlestar made more sense than being on an unarmed station so that's where I went. When Cain ordered the jump out we all just held on and prayed."

"Where did she order the jump to?" Lee's curiosity was now piqued.

"Anywhere. She just knew we had to go. We'd been in full dock and we'd seen three or four of the other ships docked there blown apart at the beginning. The Cylons started dropping nukes for maximum damage and it worked. Luckily the _Pegasus_ was on the far side of the station so we weren't even seen until last but by then the damage was done. There was debris flying everywhere so we couldn't even launch Vipers so Cain shook loose the docking clamps and got us far enough away to jump. We ended up on the far side of Tauron and we hid behind that big ugly moon it has, waiting to see what happened. After a few hours there was no contacts so Cain ordered the crew to start repairing the damage to the ship and readying the Vipers."

"What? Were you going to go looking for them instead of getting the frak out of there?" Kara's disbelief was thick but she hadn't been there.

"Well you'd have to ask Cain about that. She made the order, we just followed it. While we were readying the fighters she sent one of her officers down for a headcount and a roster of talent so I ended up inside one of the Vipers. She ordered us to jump to Caprica after we'd readied and when we showed up we got smacked by a basestar."

Lee's concern was evident, not just for Lauren but for all of the pilots, "Heavy losses?"

"Yeah, about a third of the pilots. A few managed to eject and we picked them up but most weren't so lucky. We recalled everyone and jumped back out to Tauron to recover. Cain knew that it wasn't safe to stay there much longer so we decided to head for the outer reaches of the system and see if we could find any other survivors."

"Is that when you picked up the civvies?"

"Yeah, some of them. We decided to head out for one of the munitions dumps on the far side of Tauron and we found a few more civvies out there. Once we were fully stocked again we told the civvies to keep moving outward and we'd catch up to them but Cain wanted to go back to Caprica one more time to see if we could pick up any broadcasts or anything useful. When we got there the Cylons were all but gone and we decided to go looking for them."


	28. Chapter 28

Ch 28

Kara and Lee were both listening to her as she recounted the last six months for them. Lauren had explained how she had gotten to the _Pegasus_ in the first place and what had happened during the attack. She skipped forward quite a bit because she'd wanted to explain more about why she'd been acting so strangely so she just filled in a few minor details.

"So Cain isn't all right in the head huh?" Kara had finally sat back down and now she was stretching her body over the box she was on.

"Not by a long shot. You've heard the story about her first XO over here right?"

"Yeah but we've heard a lot of really wild ones over here so we couldn't be sure."

"Well it was for damn sure she shot him. I saw the body bag. She's so used to being followed to the letter when he said no to her she just lost it. She never stopped to think about what kind of situation we were in at the time. She just does what the manual tells her to do and there is no room for argument."

"And what about the civvies ships? Where'd they go to?" Lee's concern was growing and he was steadily moving closer to her again.

"She stripped them. Parts, personnel, anything she could use 'for the good of the military'. There was nothing we could do about it." Lauren watched as the horror paled both of their faces. "See why I am being the best little soldier I can be? The woman is military down to her guts and she expects everyone around her to be the same. So I saw a way to survive and I grabbed it. When I started acting more like her to keep my head above water she took notice of it and promoted me and made me Taylor's second. I couldn't act any different after the fact. Cain will discard you in a heart beat if you're not what will help her succeed. She'd done it several times and I didn't want to be the next one so I conformed and adapted. That's why you saw me acting the way I was."

Lee and Kara both had so many questions for her but they wanted to let her tell it on her own. Lee got up and paced around the room for a while, listening to her and trying to work his anger back down to a manageable level.

"Did you all hear over here about the Cylon we found on board? They took her to the brig and no one heard a thing for a few days then Cain sent in Thorne to interrogate her."

"Who's Thorne?" Kara could see where this was going and she didn't like it one bit.

"Lt. Thorne is a specialist that was playing out the last of his tour on _Pegasus_. Seems he was an interrogator for the police for a while. Remember the big deal back on Leonis about ten years back that got everyone all up in arms?"

Kara's eyes went wide, "Yeah, the one with all of the local people that were held in the prison camps and tortured?"

"Yup that's the one. Guess who was the leader of the police force that was responsible?" she waited for that to register. "Yeah so he went to 'question' the Cylon. We heard the screaming all over the ship. Then the next thing you know the word gets around that the crew are free to 'take liberty' with the prisoner."

"What the frak? You are joking right?" Lee's anger had finally reached it's peak and he couldn't hold it in when she said that. "How the hell can that woman allow that kind of thing to happen on a military vessel?"

"It wasn't just that Lee…"

Kara violently shook her head at Lauren. She'd had an inkling of the situation a while ago and now she knew.

"What? What do you mean Lauren?" He rushed across the room and grabbed her by the shoulders, not quite shaking her but scaring her none the less. "Tell me you don't mean what I think you mean."

Now it was Lauren's turn to get up and pace. She thought her words out carefully, knowing how upset Lee would be if she said the wrong thing. She knew he'd go running for his Viper at the first sign of her having suffered. "It wasn't bad at first, the guys started pairing up with the more inviting women. Then when the willing ones had been picked up it started getting a bit more forceful. I guess when it hit them that the women on the ship may be the only women left they kind of slipped into a more primal mindset and the rapes started. I suppose because they'd been able to have their way with the Cylon they thought it was 'anything goes'. Lee relax. I'm fine, nothing happened, well almost nothing, I had to say 'no' once or twice."

She looked at Kara and the eye roll spoke volumes. Kara deciphered the look and broke into a hearty laugh, "How bad?"

"Oh five days in sick bay, both eyes black, split lip, broken nose, sprained wrist and two cracked ribs. The other one got off pretty light in comparison."

The look on Kara's face was serious but it melted into a burst of laughter that carried through the room, infecting Lauren and then Lee. Soon all three of them were crumpled on boxes, giggling madly. Lee couldn't help but picture a big burly man being pummeled into the deck boards by his lover.


	29. Chapter 29

Ch 29

When they'd regained their composure from the giggling fit, they all filled in some of the missing details until they'd reached a measure of satisfaction that everyone was all right. Lee and Kara told Lauren a few of the things they'd had to go through but they seemed to have a lighter air than Lauren's tales. Then they moved on to the topic of how they could make the two ships actually work together. Lauren was doubtful that either Taylor or Admiral Cain would be excited about having the _Galactica's_ style of command adopted and Kara especially bristled at the idea of Cain commanding them all.

Lee asked her a few more pointed questions about Cain's style of command and then he began pacing once more. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts so Kara turned to Lauren and asked her some more personal questions about the _Pegasus_ and the time Lauren had spent there.

Lee turned back to them just as Lauren finished answering something Kara had asked. He saw her lower lip begin to tremble as if she was very upset and then a single crystal tear slid down her cheek.

"Lauren, what's wrong?" Kara asked, concern filling her voice.

"I just…you can't imagine how much shit I've gone through these past few months and I never…I couldn't…" she finally broke and a hiccup of a sob burst from her.

Kara reached over and pulled her friend into a warm hug. Then Lee came and sat himself behind Lauren, wrapping his arms around both of the women he loved. They stayed like that for a time, taking comfort in their friendship and just being close to each other. Lauren's sobs filtered out of the middle of the group and she eventually leaned her head back into Lee's shoulder. When she'd quieted down again, Kara rose from the box and began straightening her uniform.

"I think it's time for me to leave you two alone for a bit. I'm pretty sure I can keep people from looking for you for a while but I'm not sure how long so if you intend on getting your joy on, you'd better do it fast."

Lee smiled at Kara, knowing full well that what she was doing would mean he owed her a very large favor. It was worth it though if he could spend some time, however brief, with Lauren. Kara went to the hatch and was twisting the lock open when Lauren thanked her as well and then they were alone, the door locking behind their friend as she left.

Lee pulled her up to her feet and slid his arms around her waist. She smiled up at him and lay her head on his shoulder again, breathing in the warm scent of him. His hand reached up and stroked the soft silk of her hair, tangling in her braid and pulling a few strands loose. Lauren reveled in the closeness of him, delighted at the fact that she was able to hold onto him again after so long of thinking him gone forever. She tilted her face up and he covered her lips with his own, gently drinking her in and feeling the warmth of her spread through him. Her hands snaked down under the uniform jacket he wore and up to caress the soft curves of his chest. Then she reached for the buttons and began undoing them as she continued to delight in his mouth. She slid the jacket off, hearing the heavy material fall to the floor, then allowing her hands to began searching for his soft skin under his tanks. She kissed him deeper, devouring his mouth like a starving person eating at long last and she slid his tanks up to his chin.

While she was ridding him of his shirts he was untying the bunched flight suit around her waist and unzipping it the rest of the way so it pooled around her feet. He felt the pressure begin to build in his groin as he bent down and struggled to get her out of her boots. He smiled up at her as he finally removed the second one and reached up to slide her underwear down over her hips. She stepped out of it lightly and pulled her shirts up over her head so she was naked before him.

He admired her beauty and the changes in her body from the long months of fighting and defending herself. Her muscles were more finely toned now and he wondered if she could look any more tantalizing than she did right now. His hands ran slowly up her legs and she sighed as he leaned in closer to her. Then he pushed her legs apart so he could better reach her core. His fingers slid up and into her hot moisture and he realized how excited she was. His smile was wicked and when he looked up at her she knew that he was as turned on as she was.

His tongue flicked over her opening, sliding through the sweet crevices and hovering over the small bud that made her moan. How he'd missed her spicy taste and he lapped at it eagerly. Lauren leaned her head back and almost lost her balance as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her. She felt her need growing stronger and she bunched her hands in his hair, trying to get him to stand up and fill her as she had longed for. He was busy enjoying her taste and he stayed before her, lapping at her and sliding his fingers to where they would please her the most. All to soon she cried out and he reached behind her to steady her as she shook with spasms of enjoyment.

He chuckled as she looked down at him with a devilish gleam to her eyes and she curled her hands under his arms, lifting him to his feet. When she had him on his feet again, she licked at his lips, tasting herself and him mixed in a delightfully sweet cocktail. Then she knelt before him and pulled his shoes off, as he had done for her. Her fingers found the button on his pants and then the zipper, slowly tugging the metal down she teased him. When she was ready for him, and not a moment sooner, she pulled his pants down and off, watching as his full length danced in front of her.

He sighed as she licked along his leg, upwards, tracing circles and nipping as she went. Sliding her hands up she caressed his leg, then the thigh, and eventually up to the soft sac that hung there. She'd reached the top of his thigh with her tongue and now she was facing his cock, licking her lips in anticipation of the salty sweetness of him. She licked along the underside of his shaft, slipping his head into her mouth where she sucked gently, eliciting a deep moan from him. Then she sucked him in as far as she could, massaging him with her tongue as her hand did the same below.

He knew that he wouldn't last long if she kept this up so he cupped her chin with his hand and tried to raise her back to her feet but she wasn't ready to release her prize yet and he shivered as she sucked and licked at him. He was almost to the limit of his control so he reached down and pulled her to her feet.

"Hey! I was having fun there," she pouted at him.

"Well I was too but I can't hold on much longer. I need to be inside you Lauren. I've waited too frakking long." With that said he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to a row of boxes by the back wall. He set her gently on them and climbed up next to her, drinking her in with his eyes and stroking her soft skin with his hands. She wanted to be in control of this so she laughed while she pushed him down on the platform, straddling him and looking at him with all of the love she'd felt for him pouring into her smile.

He rested his hands on her thighs and looked up at her, begging her silently to let him in so he could feel her warm depths. Lauren smiled and shifted around, wiggling her hips at him, dropping herself down over his hard length then flitting away again as she teased and tormented him. Finally, he'd had enough of her teasing so he grabbed her ass and pulled her into place over his cock as he lifted his hips and sought her opening. When he felt the warmth engulf his head he shoved upwards, impaling her on him.

She moaned and leaned backwards as he filled her and she began to rise up and gently slide back down on him, relishing the sweet feel of him stretching her. They ground themselves together in a rhythm that was steadily becoming more frantic. Lauren felt the waves of ecstasy begin to pull her under and she tried desperately to hold out a little longer but she couldn't. Her groan was followed by a sharp hiss and she raked her nails down Lee's chest as she arched her back in pleasure. This brought Lee's orgasm crashing over him and he pulled her down onto him so he could fill her completely as he shuddered and moaned.

Lauren's head rolled on her shoulders as she came back to herself and she lay her body over Lee's and listened to the frantic beating of his heart. He wrapped his arms over her, pulling her tight against him and smelling the clean scent of her hair mixed with the tangy scent of their lovemaking.


	30. Chapter 30

Ch 30

They lay there for a long time, simply enjoying the warmth of being together again. Finally Lauren rose up and moved aside so Lee could as well. "I really should be getting back to _Pegasus_. If I'm gone too long Cole will send someone over here looking for me and that would end up being a nasty scene."

"Lauren, I want you to try to ask if you can be stationed over here. I need to be with you more than just this."

She sighed as she reached for her clothing, "Lee I don't know if that will fly with Cain. I can ask but don't expect her to jump at the idea. She likes to keep her people close to her and apparently I'm now one of her people."

"I just don't like you being over there. Something about the things happening on that ship just don't set will with me and I…well I just can't lose you again."

Lauren looked as if she was about to cry again but she held it back and finished dressing before she went to him and pulled his face close to hers. Their eyes met and they both knew that they'd do everything in their power to stay together, this time forever. She kissed him deeply and let him finish dressing as she tried to straighten the mess of her hair.

Lee had just pulled his shoes on when someone banged softly on the hatch door. "It's probably Kara," he said as he walked to the door. When he'd opened the lock and pulled the hatch open slowly, Lauren saw Kara's blonde hair poke gingerly into the hatch. Lauren laughed when she realized that Kara had her hand over her eyes and was peeking through her fingers.

"Oh thank the Gods you've got your clothes on. I was totally afraid I was going to have to yark all over the place if I caught you two getting happy. Lee, people are starting to wonder where you are so we'd better get back in sight before the Old Man calls out the marines."

The three of them walked down the halls, once more discussing business, with the occasional tidbit from a past joke thrown in, all three in better spirits than when Lauren first arrived. When they reached the flight deck Chief Laird immediately planted himself behind Lauren and began speaking to her as if the other two weren't there.

Kara rolled her eyes at it and asked Lee if he was planning on letting the other man commandeer his woman that way.

"Well if you were him and you had a choice between fawning over Taylor or fawning over her, which would you choose?"

"Good point. I'm sure she's an angel compared to that jackass."

They reached Lauren's Viper which had been serviced and refueled and she turned to Kara to give her another hug. She whispered something in Kara's ear that made the blonde woman laugh wildly. Then she zipped up her flight suit and reached to shake Lee's hand. He wasn't having any of that and he pulled her into a hug which she gladly returned. Then he followed her up the ladder as she climbed into her ship. He reached over and locked the neck ring on for her and leaned in as if checking it's seal so he could whisper in her ear, "I love you. See you soon," and he kissed her cheek softly.

The two of them watched as she launched from the bay and were walking back to the pilot's ready room when they heard Lt. Gaeta's voice over the comm system, "Capitan Adama and Lieutenant Thrace please report to Commander's office." They looked at each other as it was repeated and they shrugged and headed off to see what was going on.


	31. Chapter 31

CH 31

When they reached the Old Man's office they waited for permission to enter and when they did, they both felt the waves of tension in the room. Commander Adama was sitting at his desk, glasses in front of him, massaging his head as if he had a tremendous headache.

"At ease. Have a seat you two."

They looked at each other to see if the other knew what was happening as they sat and both edged nervously to the front of their chairs.

"I've just come back from the _Pegasus_. Admiral Cain has informed me of an unidentified Cylon ship that's been following us. It's being protected by two basestars and several lesser ships. The Admiral wants to do a recon mission to find out what this ship is and then if we can come up with a suitable tactic we're going to take it out." He looked at them waiting for the excitement to creep up to their eyes and he was soon rewarded. They both started babbling about tactics and recon and he had to quiet them.

"I'm not done. That was the good news. Here's the bad news. Admiral Cain is integrating the crews. She's read over our logs and has decided that the crew will function better if they are moved around a bit. I can't say I agree with her but I have my orders."

"But that's not so bad sir," Kara said, "some of the people over here could use a bit of butt kicking if you ask me."

"I'm not asking you and I wasn't asked either. The Admiral gave me a list of people to be transferred to the _Pegasus_ immediately and your names are the top of the list."

Lee bolted to his feet. "What? Transfer to the _Pegasus_?"

Kara was right behind him. "Why the frak should we do that?"

"Because those are your orders."

Lee and Kara immediately started railing about that and their voices were raising rapidly to yelling. "We can't just let her come over here and frak up our entire roster on the eve of a major Cylon operation…" Lee groused as Kara was saying, "That's a load of crap! She's just trying to frak with the _Galactica_, because their CAG has a stick up his ass…"

The elder Adama had had all he could take. "That's enough! You're officers. Act like it. She's given you an order. You will carry it out." His tone left no question in Lee's mind but Kara always had to push the limits.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"You may not. We've all gotten used to bending the rules, having our way, letting things slide. Well, that's over. You wear the uniform; you will accept the rules that go with it. You've been transferred. Pack your gear and report to the _Pegasus_ CAG. Dismissed." He felt awful turning his back on them but an order was an order and the sooner they learned that the easier things would be in the future when Admiral Cain really started throwing her weight around.

Back in their rack room they were both slamming the doors of their lockers and throwing their gear around, neither saying anything until Kat walked in and asked them what was going on. Kara explained it in the most unlady-like terms she could and Lee thought he even heard her say a few things that would make a Cylon blush. Kat hung her head and slumped to her bunk, wondering aloud what the frak was happening to them all.

Lee had already pulled his gear from his locker and set about putting it all into his duffle bag when he came across the picture of him and Lauren that he kept. He fell onto his bunk and stared at the picture for a minute, thinking that maybe it would be alright since now he'd be on the same ship as Lauren at least. Plus, Kara, Lauren and he would be together again and nothing could stop them if they put their minds to it.

He sighed and put the picture back in his pocket, then finished stuffing his gear into the small bag. When Kara was done they walked together to the flight deck.

Lee tried to cheer Kara up as they went, "At least we'll be on a bigger ship with, hopefully, a better kitchen. Maybe they will even have real coffee! Can you imagine?" He looked to see if she was amused at all and all he saw was the loathing for Captain Taylor that she'd brought to a boil. Lee knew that there had to be some way to keep her away from Taylor or there was going to be a whole mess of trouble.


	32. Chapter 32

Ch 32

The Vipers approached the _Pegasus_ which was floating in the blackness in front of the _Galactica_. The voice of the LSO crackled over their headsets, directing them to head for the starboard landing deck. Lee watched as they floated closer to the big ship as the CAP from _Pegasus_ zipped past them, followed by a Raptor. The CAP slid up and over the top of the big ship but the Raptor was heading for the _Galactica_. Lee assumed it was another wave of non-pilots coming to see if they could find lost relatives and such.

The _Galactica_ had been coordinating with _Colonial One _and organizing lists of everyone on the ships. People could contact a member of President Roslin's staff to determine if any of their family or friends survived the attack and was on a ship in the fleet. So far it had gone quite smoothly, with several of the civilians on the liner volunteering their efforts. When the members of the _Pegasus_ had found out about the lists they had clamored to find their own family's fates. They had been trying for days to get a direct comm link to _Colonial One_ so the crew of the larger ship wouldn't have to come over to _Galactica_ or _Colonial One_ in person.

Kara's voice broke through his musings, "Looks like another load of seekers heading for certain dissapointment."

"Probably. Kara, can I count on you to not fly off the handle when we get there? I know that you really don't like Taylor but we really need to try to keep things from getting out of hand."

He could hear her snort over the headset but she agreed to try not to start a fight with the man. As they banked over to the starboard side of the ship they got their clearance from the LSO and they landed their Vipers. One of the deck hands rushed up to Lee to tell him how to find Captain Taylor, who he assured Lee was expecting him. So they headed off to the ready room.

On the way to through the knot of pilots milling around the ready room, Lee saw Lauren's auburn hair and he started pushing his way through the crowd towards her. He waited until she was done speaking to the pilot she was with and she turned to face him, a slight smile curling up her lips. She spoke in a lowered voice and Lee knew that she didn't feel like she could talk at the moment.

"Captain Adama, good to see you again. I hear you've been stationed over here for the time being. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine once you get used to how we do things. If you need anything to help you get settled, let me know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get my shift in order." She stepped away from him but leaned into him and ran her fingers through his hand. He watched her walk past him and he was thrilled to see her look up and wink at him.

The other pilots were beginning to filter into the room and Kara paced over to him, rolling her eyes in distaste at the amount of testosterone floating around. "Shall we get this over with milady?"

"If we must. Wait. Milady? Did you hit your head recently?"

"Nah, just in a good mood." He motioned back over their shoulders to where Lauren had just headed. Kara nodded in understanding and they followed the crowd into the room.

Kara and Lee stood at attention in front of Captain Taylor as he read through their files. Kara rolled her eyes at him since he already knew all about them and she could see no reason to draw this out. Lee saw the eye roll and softly elbowed Kara to make her behave. Just then a whole squadron of pilots came into the ready room and began to take their seats. Kara surveyed the group and realized she was one of only three women in the room.

Taylor introduced them to the group and motioned for them to take seats. They made their way to the second row and sat next to each other and waited for Taylor to begin the briefing. The man strutted around the front of the podium as if he were trying to reaffirm his power over the rest of the pilots. When his ego was sufficiently boosted he cleared his throat and began the briefing.

"Settle down people. This is a photo recon mission. We are interested in one Cylon ship in particular which is larger than anything we've encountered before. Analysis to date suggests they will be in this star system next. We will hide behind this moon which has an abnormally large magneto tail and will mask our Dradis signatures."

Kara leaned over and whispered in Lee's ear, trying not to draw attention. However, Taylor had been watching her the entire briefing and he stood up straighter as she leaned over. He looked like he'd been waiting for her to slip up so he could berate her.

"We'll power down, hide near the surface, wait for the fleet to pass by. Starbuck? You have something to add?" the sneer in Taylor's voice was obvious.

"Your plan sucks. And the Cylons aren't stupid. That moon's a blind spot. They'll never go near it. You really want to get close? You got to use the stealth ship we constructed aboard _Galactica_." She knew as soon as she'd said it that Taylor would shoot her plan down. He was the type of man that had to be right all the time.

One of the other pilots made a snotty comment behind her and she managed not to return the snide attitude. Taylor regained control of the room by saying, "That's enough. Starbuck, you're off this mission. Whiplash, Thumper get your optical gear ready. Apollo, you'll pilot the Raptor with me. Your jacket says you qualified in one. Remember how to fly it?"

Lee responded affirmatively and Taylor dismissed the pilots. Kara grabbed Lee's sleeve and pulled him in the opposite direction as the rest of the pilots. However, he shook her loose and turned towards the other door. She stormed past him wanting desperately to vent her anger as she reached the hall. She turned to Lee and was ready to unleash her anger but he smiled at her and she calmed slightly.

"They expect us to take this lying down? Now you're driving a frakking Raptor. It's humiliating."

Lee pushed a bag at her and unzipped it to show her the camera within it. She picked up on the idea he was pushing on her and he confirmed it by telling her to go get the blackbird and slip away to get the recon pictures of the mystery ship that he knew they would not be able to get otherwise. Then he turned and walked off with Taylor.


	33. Chapter 33

Ch 33

Back on the _Galactica_, Chief Tyrol and Helo were racing through the corridors of the ship on their way to the special brig cell that Sharon was housed in. They had heard how the _Pegasus_ crew members were talking about the Cylon prisoner they had in custody. The implication of what this Lt. Thorne would be doing to Sharon, possibly right now, was too much to ignore and they bolted towards the brig.

When they reached the glass walled room time stood still as the Chief grabbed Thorne by the jacket and slung him across the room and Helo engaged the heavily armed marines. Thorne flew across the room, his head slamming into the metal wall. The marines pointed their guns at the two men and their orders were shouted as they brought the situation under control. Helo looked at Sharon, huddling pathetically under her blanket on the floor, crying at the thought of what had almost happened to her.

The marine closer to the wall leaned down and felt for a pulse on the prostrate form of Thorne. Finding none he stood again, this time in a manner more offensive than defensive. Soon Helo and the Chief were being lead from the cell under the watchful eyes of the marines. Apparently they were going to be taken to the _Pegasus_ for further judgement.

The news of what happened spread through the _Pegasus _like wildfire. Pilots all over the ship were up in arms over the event because apparently Lt. Thorne was quite well liked. Kara heard the details in her bunk as several of the other pilots walked past. She asked a few questions as discretely as she could with out making them suspicious of her and her intentions. When she found out that it was Helo and the Chief that were the detainees she knew that the situation was bad.

She figured out that they were on their way back to the _Pegasus_, she assumed, for a trial from what she'd heard but she couldn't be sure so she decided to go looking for someone that could tell her. Ten minutes later she wandered into the starboard flight deck and saw Lauren. Rushing over to her friend she saw the worried look on Lauren's face and knew that whatever had happened was getting worse.

"Any idea what's going on? No one will talk to me since I'm a newbie over here. Please tell me you know something?"

"Yeah, I do know stuff. Walk with me." Lauren led her off to a corner of the deck and moved herself in front of the shorter woman to block anyone seeing what they were talking about. "From what I've heard Thorne was sent over to 'interrogate' your Cylon. You remember what I said about him right? Well apparently your two guys busted in on him and in the furball after Thorne got killed."

"It had to be an accident. I know Helo and he'd only hurt someone if it was a serious deal. Now if Thorne was threatening Sharon that's serious. Sharon is pregnant with Helo's kid." Kara looked worried and started biting her lip. "What's going to happen to them Lauren? What is Cain going to do to them?"

"I don't know but I know she's pissed. They are supposed to be on their way back here. My guess is that Cain will hole them up in the brig until she figures out how to suitabley punish them. She really liked Thorne, thought he was a stand up guy. Look, I'll go snoop around, see if Cole's heard anything and I'll get back to you. Stick around here will ya?"

Lauren headed off to see if she could find Cole and Kara went to run checks on her Viper. She stashed the bag with the camera in it under the seat in the cockpit and tried to look busy. Lauren was gone for a while and Kara was starting to get worried when she saw the other woman rushing across the deck.

"Kara, they're here already. Cole said that Cain is going to try them here as she's the highest ranking military officer. She's not going to be fair or easy on them so if there's any way at all you can think of to get them out of this you'd better get working."

"I've got to go talk to Lee, he'll have an idea." Kara had started to move towards the entrance of the deck when Lauren grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Lee's already gone with Cole on the recon mission. He knows what's happened but he can't do anything for them now, especially not with Cole around. Lee told me about his plan for you and the blackbird. I think it's best if you go do that as soon as you can. Cole's plan is crap and they'll end up getting killed. I know that stealth bird can get in there and back out and you are the only one that's flown her so you've got to go."

Kara thought about the situation for a moment and she nodded, "Okay I'll go but how are we going to get Helo and the Chief out of this?"

"Would Adama have any means of getting them back?"

"I'm sure he's already tried. He wouldn't let her take his men with out a fight. Trust me."

"I do. And you need to trust that this will work out. I'll do what I can but you need to go and now! I'm not about to lose Lee again."

Kara smiled at her and bolted for her Viper. When she'd flown off Lauren paced the deck trying to figure out some way to convince Admiral Cain that the two men from the _Galactica_ were innocent.


	34. Chapter 34

Ch 34

Lee sat in his seat next to Taylor in the Raptor, ready to jump but still not going anywhere. Taylor was such a stickler for doing everything by the books he kept making Lee double check him on everything. When Taylor asked Lee why he was not paying attention, Lee's response made Taylor doubt his willingness to be a working member of the _Pegasus_ crew but they had a mission to fly and it would be done if he had to shove the other man out the hatch and fly alone.

Lee felt the hostility from Taylor coming off in waves and he backed off a bit and let the other man be in charge. He hated the fact that there was nothing he could do for the Chief and Helo but he knew that his father would pull them out of the fire. Lee looked over at Taylor one more time as he called out that there was ten minutes left before the jump and he studied the other man. Lee had not been around him very long but there was definitely a reason that Taylor didn't like him. He made a mental note to figure out what the reason was once they got back to the _Pegasus_.

Back aboard the _Galactica_, Commander Adama was receiving word that his men had already been tried and were going to be executed for treason. His mind raced to find a way to make Admiral Cain see reason and when he called her and tried to talk sense into her he finally realized that there would be no reason from her. He ordered Colonel Tigh to launch that raptor with the marines on board and he prayed to every God available to end this peacefully.

When the action stations alert blared through the flight deck of the _Pegasus_, Lauren knew her time was up. She wasn't on duty at the moment so she didn't race for her Viper. Instead she pounded her fist against a wall, trying desperately to figure out a way to get the situation under control. Suddenly she had a flash of inspiration and she bolted for the hatch door.

She nearly ran several people over in her haste to reach the communications station near the CIC. When she did, she eased into the small room and looked for her friend Thena. She saw the diminutive woman on the far side of the room and a grin split her face. Lauren eased into the seat next to her and leaned over her shoulder.

"Do you have an open line to the _Colonial One_ yet Thena?"

"Yeah, we just got it up the other day. Why?"

"I need you to call over there and get me the President. I need to talk to her ASAP and it is deadly important."

"I don't know if I can get her but I'll try." Thena started making the call and Lauren listened as she worked her way up the chain of command on the President's staff. She finally reached one of the Presiden't personal aides and he would let her go no further without an explanation of who was calling and why. Thena looked at Lauren who'd put on another headset and jacked herself into Thena's console.

"This is Captain Baker on the _Pegasus_. Are you aware of the situation that is happening between the two Battlestars right now sir?" There was a long pause as the young man checked his information.

"I'm aware of something happening out there but we've not been informed exactly what. Can you enlighten me?"

"I sure can. Right now there is about to be a war started over the lives of two men from the _Galactica_. If you let me speak to the President for all of two minutes I can tell her how to stop this from happening."

She could hear the shock in the man's voice, "Uh…let me see if I can get her for you. Hold on just a moment please."

Thena looked at Lauren and questioned the conversation with her eyes. Before Lauren could explain herself, the phone was picked up on the other end.

"This is President Roslin. Tell me what's happening please."

"Madame President, I'm Captain Baker from the _Pegasus_. You can stop this situation from escalating. Admiral Cain is determined to execute two men from the _Galactica_ over an accidental death. Lt. Thorne was sent by Admiral Cain to interrogate the _Galactica's_ Cylon prisoner and apparently the situation became violent towards her. Lt. Agathon and Chief Tyrol were defending her and Lt. Thorne was accidentally killed." Lauren paused and heard the gasp of disbelief from the President. "Ma'am, the Admiral is calling for aggression against Commander Adama because he's sent marines over here to retrieve his men. If you can take control of this situation it can be ended before shots are fired."

"I'm not sure I can end it Captain. Admiral Cain has made it very clear that she will not be taking orders from me. What did you have in mind?"

"Ma'am, forgive me, but is Lt. Valerii… um, the Cylon, your prisoner or a military prisoner?"

"The Cylon is a prisoner of the Colonies, yes. She was taken into custody by me on Kobol. The military prisoner was the one that was killed."

"So this Cylon is definitely _your_ prisoner correct?"

"Yes she is. I see where you're going Captain but I don't think that Admiral Cain will buy it since she was being held on the _Galactica_ at the time."

"Madame President, forgive my forwardness but do you in fact have a brig on the _Colonial One_?"

Lauren could hear the smile in the President's reply, "Thank you Captain. If you'll excuse me I need to make a phone call to Admiral Cain."

The connection clicked off and Lauren heaved a sigh of relief as she took off the headset. She looked at Thena who was staring at her in disbelief. "Thena, can you log that as one of the 'looking for a relative' calls? I can't let the Admiral find out what we just did."

"Done and done. Gods but I hope that worked. I'd hate to see innocent people go the way of the last XO."

"Me neither. I'll pray that it does later. Right now I've got to go look busy and you'd better do so too." With that Lauren left the comm room and headed back to the flight deck.


	35. Chapter 35

CH 35

Lauren reached the flight deck to find the crew was listening to the transmissions from the battle frequency. She asked one of them what was going on and she was horrified to find that Admiral Cain had ordered the alert fighters to meet _Galactica's_ forces. The pilots voices echoed through the deck and Lauren scanned the room, watching the shock register on everyone's faces.

If Admiral Cain was willing to pull the trigger on this then they could end up at war with their own forces. All over the lives of two men. Lauren tensed as the fighters began to engage the _Galactica's_ ships and several times she heard the request for weapons free. She prayed, along with several of the deck crew, that the Admiral would not give the authorization for that. Apparently Commander Adama was also not willing to load the gun as none of the _Galactica's_ flighters were firing either.

Lauren imagined the furball that was happening out there and was glad that she was not a part of it. There was no way in hell she could attack a fellow fleet pilot in a situation like this one. The voices of the pilots rolled through the deck and Lauren felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered that somewhere out there Lee was in a Raptor with Cole, possibly watching this whole situation unfold.

She knew that Lee would never do anything to provoke Cole but Cole was such a blind follower of orders, if the Admiral ordered him to take Lee into custody, he would without a second's hesitation. That wouldn't sit well with Lee any more than any of this was sitting with Kara.

Suddenly the CIC reported a Dradis contact of an unidentified ship. Lauren heard the reports fly back and forth and the ship was determined to be a Cylon. She braced herself for the announcement of a basestar and the order for all units to launch. Then, miraculously, she heard Kara's voice crackle over the speaker.

"Starbuck to all Vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly."

Lauren missed the rest of the broadcast because the shouting in the deck was too loud. Maybe after all this time the Gods really were starting to care about them and not trying to kill them all. Someone turned the speaker off and everyone returned to their duities, preparing the deck for the returning Vipers.

Lauren made her way over to the port side deck where Cole would land his Raptor and she put herself to work, helping the deck crew. When the Raptor finally docked and was being rolled up to it's berth, she edged herself over behind it and waited to see if Lee was all right. When the hatch opened, Lee was the first off the ship, his head lowered and he looked grim when he pulled his helmet off. Cole was right behind him and he grabbed Lee by the arm and pulled him towards his office.

Something wasn't sitting right with this and Lauren was desperate to find out what. She racked her mind thinking of some excuse to get herself into Cole's office but couldn't find one so she waited. Almost an hour passed and another Viper was wheeled onto the deck and Lauren was relieved to see Kara get out of it. Lauren ran to her friend's side and asked what was going on.

"Well I flew the recon mission, got some great pictures too. I transmitted them to Cain and she ordered me over here. That's about all I know. What about you?"

"Well Lee was out with Cole, then they came back and Cole dragged Lee into his office and they haven't come out since."

Kara could see the worry on Lauren's face but she assured her that Lee could indeed take care of himself and that it probably wasn't that bad. Lauren sighed and agreed, then let the other woman go meet with the Admiral.

Finally, Cole's office door opened and Lee walked out. He saw her and headed for her. The look on his face was resigned but angry all at the same time. Lauren had never seen that particular look on him before and she was desperate to find out what was happening. She knew he couldn't talk freely on the deck so she motioned for him to follow her to her office on the other side of the ship. When they got there, she locked the door behind them and waited for him to speak.

"Thank you. Whatever you and Kara pulled off back there, thank you."

"I didn't do anything, she flew the blackbird out and got those pictures. I just sat here and worried."

"Well, someone or something made them call off the attack on each other. If they'd started firing, we'd be in the middle of another war right now." He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't take much more of these tests. I need the frakking prize now," he growled as he stared up at the ceiling.

"What? I'm not following you."

"Ah, something I was talking about with Roslin on Kobol. Don't worry about it." He rose from his chair and wlked to her, slipping his arms around her waist and staring at her. Then a grin pulled up the corners of his lips and he leaned over to kiss her tenderly. "I got demoted you know. I was going to end up in the brig but once again Kara Thrace saved my ass."

"And what a fine ass it is," she purred as she slid her hands down behind him to cup that specific ass in them. "Definitely worth saving."

As he looked down at the woman he loved so much, he realized with sudden clarity that he was looking at the prize. All along, the prize had been right there and he hadn't realized it until just now. He smiled at her as she lay her head on his shoulder, delighting in the simple joy of just being near him. Then he looked back up at the ceiling and whispered to whatever God was listening, "Thank you."

Fin


End file.
